


Smash Worlds Tournament

by CrossingTheFourthWall



Series: Maria's Adventures [5]
Category: DCU, Marvel, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Fighting Tournament, Gen, Mind Control, fighting fighting and more fighting, sort of a between-adventures thing, that of course brings its own problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 19:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 80,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11387013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrossingTheFourthWall/pseuds/CrossingTheFourthWall
Summary: A break from saving worlds! Maria is invited to a fighting tournament against other characters from across the multiverse. However, it seems as though something from Maria's recent past is attempting to come back to haunt her...





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen people write up fighting tournaments for their characters before and I thought it would be cool to have Maria mess around with one. So I chose SSB, but I've given them a few...new...guests to deal with.
> 
> This should be interesting.

Maria walked into the main lobby of a building, a portal closing up behind her. "Well, looks like I made it without a hitch," she remarked.

The teen was now in a large room that might be related to the waiting area in an airport, because of its size. There were flags hanging from the ceiling that represented different nations, but they weren't Earth's nations. In fact, if you kept yourself secluded from reading, playing video games -- the entire world, really -- you probably wouldn't recognize any of them.

Maria looked down at the silver card she held. On it was a globe -- the planet Earth -- and a white ribbon going around it with "Smash Worlds Tournament" in gold letters. Underneath, in bold, blue letters, were the words "You're Invited!"

"I wonder where the nearest hotel is," Maria muttered. "There's got to be a place to stay through this whole thing without getting in people's way." She pushed a stray strand of brown hair out of the way of her blue eyes, pulled on her red shirt and orange jacket, then adjusted her red backpack and started to look around for someone familiar who might have been through this before.

"Hey!"

Maria looked over in the direction of a voice, catching sight of a waving blue hedgehog.

"Hey, Sonic!" Maria greeted.

The hedgehog walked over, slipping by a boy with wings wearing a white robe and carrying a bow.

"It's been awhile since that Team Galactic problem," Sonic remarked.

"Yeah, it has been," Maria agreed, a grin on her face. "How are you and Sally doing?"

"Great!" Sonic replied. "She's actually here, too."

"Really?" Maria glanced around at the crowd, but didn't see the familiar brown Mobian. "Where is she?"

"With the others, finding our rooms. Do you know where yours is?"

Maria shook her head. "This is my first time doing something like this, and I've only seen the battles that you guys have done. I'm kind of wondering is they even _have_ rooms around here."

Sonic smirked. "They've got rooms, all right." He pointed to the flags. "Those kind of help. Just find the flag that seems to suit you, and you'll find your way to your room using the entrance below."

Maria looked up at the flags, giving each of them a better look. There was a green flag with an acorn that had Sonic's logo on it, a few flags with different PokeBalls on them, a pink flag with a red Shroom, and a few flags that seemed slightly out of place in this area: a white flag with two Kingdom Keys crossed to form an X, a red flag with the Avengers logo in a steel color, another red flag with the letters JLA in blue, a black flag with the red Eggman logo, a sky blue flag with a yellow W logo (she shuddered slightly when she saw that one), and a white flag with a blue helmet and a pair of wrenches crossed over it.

Maria caught sight of a flag at the end of the corridor -- a deep red one with a firebird of some sort. Below its outstretched wings were a PokeBall with a blue sawblade over the upper red half, and a pair of crossed wrenches that looked like they had been made out of green data numbers.

"I think I found it," Maria remarked, looking up at the firebird. She scanned the rest of the flags again. "But the others aren't exactly ones that I had expected -- I mean, they aren't normally involved in something that says 'Smash' in the title."

Sonic shrugged. "I think that MH decided that it was time to combine both of the competitions."

"Oh. Well, that explains the new name, at least."

A shadow suddenly appeared behind Maria and jumped the girl, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Maria!" exclaimed a boy with brown, spiky hair.

"Sora, get off!" Maria exclaimed, laughing.

The KeyBlade Master complied, removing himself from his position on top of her. "It's been a while," he remarked.

"It certainly has," Maria agreed as she got up. Noticing the confused look on Sonic's face, she made a quick introduction. "Sonic, this is Sora, one of the seven KeyBlade Masters in the Disney Kingdom. Sora, this is Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the Heroes of Mobius, and the fastest thing alive."

Sora put his hands behind his head and adopted a more relaxed pose. "Fastest thing alive, huh? That's pretty cool."

Sonic nodded, a huge grin in his face. "You bet it is! What can a KeyBlade Master do?"

Sora dropped his hands and summoned his Kingdom Key. "We use these to destroy creatures called Heartless and make sure that the Darkness doesn't overcome the Light." He nodded in Maria's direction as the weapon vanished. "Maria and her sister helped us out on a couple different worlds a while back." Sora looked around. "Speaking of Liz, where is she?"

Maria shrugged. "She wasn't invited for some reason. Neither one of us figured out why, but she didn't exactly want to come along, anyway."

Sora sighed. "Ah, nuts. I'd really hoped to see her again."

"Same here," Sonic agreed. "That kid was a big help."

Sora looked at Sonic in surprise. "You've met Maria's sister?"

"Oh, sure. We kinda ran into each other when Maria was off being all busy on another planet. She came by to help us out in the end, though."

"Capcom wasn't going to let me leave until we had managed to finish off a few things," Maria stated, nodding. She gave the Keyblade wielder a curious look. "Say, who did you guys bring with you to this thing?"

"Riku, Kairi, Lea, Aqua, Terra, and Vent," Sora listed. "Leon, King Mickey, and the others are keeping on eye on the worlds while we're gone."

Sonic let out a whistle. "Bring a whole army, why don't you?"

"And who did you bring?" Maria asked, smirking.

"Sal, Tails, Knux, Shadow, Amy, Julie-Su, and then there's Scarlet, Midnight, and Magenta, along with our Pokemon teams," Sonic listed.

"And you said _I'd_ brought an army," Sora noted, chuckling.

"I guess that Brendan and Black are here too, then," Maria noted, ignoring Sora's comment.

Sonic nodded. "They've already gone off to find they're rooms."

Sora scanned the flags. "What do the rest of the flags represent?" he asked.

"They all represent the different nations, or people, that have come here to compete," Maria explained. She pointed to the Eggman flag. "For instance, it's obvious that Dr. Eggman's -- or, Kintobor's -- in the area," she remarked.

Sonic nodded. "We had to ride with him. Do you realize how annoying it gets when your ex-number one enemy is asking you about the last competition?"

"Try working around anvils," someone muttered.

Maria's head turned, and she caught sight of a man with red, spiky hair in a black robe.

The figure grinned. "Hey, Maria."

"Hey, Lea," Maria greeted. "Why did you have to work around anvils?"

"Three siblings that look like either cats or dogs." The redhead looked annoyed. "You'll probably see them later."

Maria nodded, a slight smirk coming over her face as quickly she realized what the KeyBlade user was referring to. She looked around, as if expecting to see anyone else familiar.

"I wonder who's got that one?" Lea asked, pointing to the flag with the firebird. "Whoever it is, they're probably pretty strong."

"I think it all depends on peoples' opinions," Maria remarked, not bothering to mention that it was hers. She figured it'd probably be better if she surprised him.

Sonic glanced down at his left wrist, where a watch might have been. "We'd better split. Dinner's going to be in half an hour, and we should get our rooms settled in before then."

"Where is dinner?" Maria asked.

"Don't worry about where it is," the Mobian replied. "There's a warp panel in your room that'll take you there. It should be marked with 'Dining Hall'." Sonic then took off for the Mobian flag and disappeared.

"We'd better get going, too," Sora remarked. "I'm not one to miss dinner."

"Nor I," Lea agreed. "See ya later, Maria."

"See ya," Maria replied. She ran for the flag with what was now her new logo and walked through the doorway underneath.

Maria let out a whistle as she entered her temporary bedroom. "Man, these guys thought of everything," she noted.

The room's walls were painted a pale orange, and the carpet was a bright yellow, with a pair of PokeBall and Sonic logo rugs. There was only one bed (queen-sized), and it had a red staff with a phoenix head with a flaming background on the top cover. There was also a nightstand nearby, with a digital alarm clock. There was also a door that was opposite to the entrance, which suggested the location of a bathroom.

Maria dropped her backpack on the bed and started to look around for the warp panel Sonic had mentioned. She soon found it, spewing yellow light from one corner of the room.

On the wall nearby, a sign said, "Food be this way," in a sprawling type of handwriting that was almost impossible to read.

"I'm guessing that's the dining hall," she remarked. "I'll head over there in a couple minutes."

Maria turned to face her backpack and she promptly unzipped the largest pocket and took out a tablet and a couple books, which she dropped on the nightstand. She was about to open another pocket on the front of the backpack, but then paused and shook her head.

"I don't think I'll be needing that," she muttered. She dropped her backpack on the floor next to the nightstand, then turned and looked at the warp panel. "And now for food."

Maria walked onto the warp panel, and found herself standing in what looked like a large dining hall, with the same flags from the entry hall hanging on the walls. The entire room itself looked like someone had ripped a hole in time and brought the room from a castle in the Middle Ages. Already, people were sitting in some of the high-backed, ornate wooden chairs.

The teen looked around, then caught sight of three figures waving in her direction: a scarlet-furred Mobian, with echidna dreadlocks, hedgehog spines, and two fox tails; a magenta-colored Mobian, whose fur darkened to black on both her spines and her dreadlocks; and a midnight-furred Mobian with hedgehog spines.

"Hey, guys!" Maria greeted.

"Hi, Maria," the scarlet-furred Mobian replied. A small, blue and white creature that looked like a squirrel scampered across the floor and up onto her shoulder. "It's been awhile. Sonic said that he managed to see you earlier."

Maria nodded. "Yeah; he managed to meet some of my other friends while I was at it. So, any idea where we're going to sit?"

"I think that they're marked somehow," the midnight-furred Mobian stated, motioning to the chairs. "Maybe with what was on those flags earlier or something."

"Hey, Kieth!" called a voice. Heads turned to see what looked like a weasel with fins and a split tail pointing to three chairs. A large, blue and red dragon stood behind him.

"You found our seats, Zel?" the midnight-furred Mobian asked.

Zel nodded. "Yeah; they're marked with our PokeBalls."

"Any idea who has the Moltres head?" the dragon inquired.

"I think that could be me," Maria admitted. She walked over to the chair, which was next to one marked with a simple PokeBall, and examined the mark on the chair. It looked exactly like the phoenix head on the staff on her bed. "Yeah; that's me."

"Why would you have that, though?" the dragon asked.

"The staff, Drake. Remember?" Maria pulled the chair back and sat down, the three Mobians following suit.

"This place is pretty incredible, don't you agree?" asked a boy with brown hair to Maria's right.

"I'd have to say so," Maria agreed, looking over at the boy. Blue eyes met blue eyes, and the two grinned.

"Gotten any upgrades lately?" Maria inquired.

The boy shook his head. "No. You?"

Maria shook her head. "I think the only person really authorized to do that is Dr. Light."

"Which reminds me that he was planning on adding a few things the next time he gets the chance," the boy stated. "He's here now, actually."

Maria started to look around. "Where?"

The boy pointed to his left, where a man with a large, white beard and wearing a white suit was arguing with a man with blond hair and in a red and black costume of sorts with a helmet across the table from him.

"You'll have to ask him about it later," the boy amended. "He's a bit preoccupied at the moment."

Maria nodded. "Sure; I can wait."

A loud bell suddenly went off at one end of the table, and everyone's heads turned to their right in order to see what was going on. Maria smirked when she saw the creature at the end of the table.

" _My_ _friends_ _and_ _fellow_ _Battlers_ ," a purple cat-like creature stated calmly, " _on_ _behalf_ _of_ _the_ _Hands_ , _I_ _bid_ _you_ _welcome_. _To_ _those_ _who_ _do_ _not_ _know_ _me_ , _I_ _am_ _Mewtwo_." He nodded in the direction of a pair of boys sitting near him -- specifically to his left. Behind them stood a large, green snake and a green lizard with what looked like it had a green pine cone for a tail. " _You_ _may_ _thank_ _Brendan_ _Birch_ _and_ _Hilbert_ _Black_ _for_ _my_ _being_ _here_. _They_ _convinced_ _me_ _to_ _return_ _and_ _participate_ _once_ _again_."

There were great cheers from some of the more experienced "Battlers," as Mewtwo had called them. Maria couldn't help but clap with them.

The boy in the blue, zipped up jacket sank in his seat a little. The other, his outfit practically screaming Hoenn, grinned at the applause.

"Relax, Black," the boy told his companion. "There's nothing wrong with being clapped at."

"He used my first name," Black growled. "Do you have any idea about how much I dislike that name?"

 _"Now that we are all gathered,"_ Mewtwo continued, _"let us eat!"_

Instantly, the table was covered in food where there hadn't been any -- fruits, vegetables, meats, and drinks from all across the worlds, some of which were unrecognizable to Maria, seeing as she didn't know enough about certain places.

"So, traveled anywhere?" the boy asked.

"I've been staying at home," Maria replied. She grabbed a handful of berries that looked like blue oranges. "No one knows about my abilities there, though, except for my family and my neighbors, so it's kind of been hard to practice my abilities."

Scarlet, who was sitting on Maria's left, looked around her to get a better look at the boy. "Who's that, Maria?"

Maria grinned. "Scarlet, I'd like you to meet Rock, one of the members of the Capcom Kingdom." She looked over at Rock. "Rock, this is Scarlet Igel, a human who was transformed into a Mobian and lives in the Nintendo Kingdom, on the Pokemon planet, now Mobius."

"So you're one of Tails' friends, then!" Rock identified.

The scarlet Mobian nodded. "You're the kid who wore the blue armor, right?"

Rock nodded. "I figured it might be a good idea if I show up in civilian clothes, rather than my armor. This way, no one knows who I actually am until I get into my first match."

Maria nodded. "Smart move. That way, you can really surprise them." She looked over at Dr. Light and the man he was arguing with. Maria couldn't quite make out what they were arguing about, so she asked Rock, "Any idea what they're arguing about?"

Rock shrugged. "Apparently, that man over there has these things called 'Pym Particles' in him, and they allow him to grow and shrink at will. Dr. Light doesn't think such things are possible."

At the mentioning of the name "Pym," Maria jumped in her seat a little. Grabbing what looked like a ham sandwich, she said, "Oh, it's possible. The man who invented them, Dr. Henry Pym, used them in order to keep villains in a miniature prison called the Big House. When all of them broke out, he then used them to help fight crime as the 'AntMan.'" She looked over at the man on the other side of the table. He looked like Dr. Pym, but there was something different about him. Maria then scanned the table, and spotted a man clad in yellow and black, sitting in between a woman with a yellow and black dress with an antennae-like apparatus on her head and a man in black with a quiver of arrows across his back.

"After a little while, Pym dropped fighting crime and went back to his scientific studies," Maria continued. "Then there was some sort of accident in his lab -- an explosion, which seemed to completely destroy him. A lot of people thought he was dead, but he actually wasn't -- he reemerged into the crime-fighting universe as 'Yellowjacket,' and started fighting crime anew. However, instead of being a pacifist and trying to turn the bad guys to the good side, he was a bit more of a loose cannon and seemed to actually want to fight, rather than stand on the sidelines." She motioned to the man she had spotted earlier.

"That's Dr. Pym over there, then?" Rock asked, intrigued.

Maria nodded. "But that side of him doesn't come up all that often. The explosion in his lab was symbolic -- it showed that he was 'killing Hank Pym,' as he himself put it. So, leave off calling him Dr. Pym for now."

Rock nodded. "So, who's that guy?" He motioned to the man that Maria thought looked a little like Dr. Pym.

"That's...Scott Lang, the new Ant-Man," Maria replied. "He's got Pym Particles in him, too, as well as his daughter, Cassie, who calls herself Stature." She looked around for a girl with a blond ponytail and the Ant-Man costume, but didn't find her. "Cassie must be back at home, keeping an eye on things."

Rock smirked. "And you know all about this the way you knew about me, right?"

"Right. I kinda want to get introduced properly later, but I don't want to be a bother, either, like a fan girl who wants a hair clipping or something weird like that."

Scarlet smirked. "Would you do something like that?"

Maria gave the Mobian a playful shove. "As if! This is a tournament, remember? We came here to test our skills against people from other places. This is no fan club meeting."

The three laughed.

Dr. Light took note of the merry laughter, and paused in his argument to look over at the kids.

"And what do you three find funny?" he inquired, a twinkle in his eye.

Maria smiled. "It's not really anything," she replied in a careless manner. "But, I must ask, why are you arguing with that man over there?"

"He thinks that Rock isn't who I say he is, and I think that it's impossible for technology to allow for what he says it can do," Dr. Light explained.

Maria looked Lang over. "It seems to me that it would be best to prove to him that what you say is true, and ask him for proof."

Lang, who had overheard her, looked in Maria's direction. "I would prefer that, however, the dining hall wouldn't be a very good idea for it."

_"Actually, I think it's a very good idea."_

Maria practically jumped out of her seat. "Chaos, do you have to do that?"

The (now named) Mewtwo chuckled with amusement. _"I like to see you startled once and a while."_ He then continued, _"The Hands designed this place with some entertainment in mind, originally. And, considering how dry we are with conversation, it wouldn't be all that bad if you decided to do a Double Battle."_

Lang seemed to get where Chaos was going with this. So did the others who had been pulled into the conversation.

"Who against whom?" Maria inquired, slightly interested.

 _"Let's try AntMan vs. Rock and...."_ Chaos looked around before spotting the other two that he wanted to see in action. _"Ike vs. Meta Knight."_

The Kirby-like warrior from Dream Land looked up from his plate, which was covered in pastries, and exchanged glances with the blue-haired man in uniform next to him.

The man grinned. "I'm up for it. How about you?"

"Let's see your blade dance, boy."

The two got up and moved over to a large, empty space in the dining hall. They then took out their swords and started to sword fight.

Lang grabbed his helmet and got up, as did Rock, and they went over to the area, as well, but hesitated before joining in.

"Pick a side," Ike called out. "So long as you're against each other!" He was pushed to the ground by one of Meta Knight's attacks, only to push back. The two combatants started to circle each other.

Lang placed the helmet one his head and walked over to stand by Ike. He looked Rock over, the ant-like headgear hiding his face.

"And how do you fight?" Ike inquired, looking over at Rock.

As if in answer, Rock's appearance changed. It started on his head, where a blue helmet materialized out of nowhere, and continued down his body, turning his blue T-shirt and shorts into a full-body, blue jumpsuit. His right arm was caught in the transformation, as well, becoming some sort of blaster.

"This Mega Blaster has taken down creatures tougher than me, and I've still survived," Rock told Lang. "Let's see how you do."

A figure in a fancy-looking suit stared at Rock in astonishment from his seat to the left of where Lang had been sitting a moment before. The triangular-shaped glass in his hand almost fell out of its perch between his fingers, but he caught it.

Maria caught sight of half the look on the man's face and giggled, causing the figure to lock his brown eyes with her blue ones.

"What is it that you find so funny?" he demanded.

"You, Stark," Maria replied with a wide grin. "You've seen otherworld tech before, haven't you? Why are you so surprised at Rock for his?"

Tony Stark's eyes narrowed. "Who are you, and how do you know who I am?"

Maria smiled. "The name's Maria White. How I know who you are is a bit of a long story, and you probably won't believe it."

Stark smirked. "Try me."

Maria sighed, smiled, and said, "Where I come from, you and your team are featured in comic books and at least two TV shows that I know of. There are a couple video games and movies, too."

Stark looked surprised as behind him Ike and Meta Knight started slashing with their swords again while Lang and Rock continued to circle each other. "I find that rather hard to believe."

Maria smirked. "Says the man who has traveled to Asgard in one season finale and came back still in one piece."

Scarlet looked between the two as Rock started to charge up his Mega Blaster as he continued to move. "Asgard? Where's that?"

"It's a city that's lived in by people who might represent gods in human form," Maria replied. "For instance, Thor is the god of thunder, and he wields a hammer that can be lifted only by him."

Stark stared. "And you knew about that how?"

"Same way I know about you, plus he's talked about in the ancient mythology of my world," Maria stated in passing.

"Hah!" Rock exclaimed, firing off a large sphere of energy in Lang's direction. The Avenger dodged, getting grazed by the attack as it went by and hit the wall.

Lang hissed in pain, grabbing his left arm. Chaos took note of this.

 _"Don't worry,"_ the Pokemon stated. _"In this present location, when in battle, your wounds are only temporary at best. Other than the main hall and your rooms, and at certain times, this place, the entire palace is practically littered with nanotech that allows your body to heal much more quickly than normal means, in some cases. Of course, that all depends on how strong the attack was and where it hit."_

Maria watched as Lang got up, still holding onto his arm. Almost immediately, he began to grow in size until he was almost as tall as the hall.

"Mother of Arceus...." Scarlet murmured.

Maria shrugged. "I've seen it."

Scarlet shot her a curious look, then realized what Maria was alluding to. "Oh, right. Video games?"

"Nah. A TV show and a comic book series. I don't know if the AntMan persona has actually made it into the video game realm."

Lang lifted his foot and was about to crush Rock when the Reploid fired a shot and moved out of the way as the giant started hopping around on his one undamaged foot. That is, until Meta Knight slashed it, and the giant human collapsed onto his knees.

"Pull yourself together!" Ike barked. "We'll never win like this." He charged Rock as he continued, "Switch dance partners!"

"Right," Lang replied through gritted teeth. He glared down at Meta Knight, who glared back up at him. They then started a game of whack-a-mole, with Lang's clenched fists as the hammers.

"Hold still!" Lang growled down at the swordsman.

The Meta Knight didn't reply; instead, he unfurled his wings and flew up to Lang's face, swinging his sword quickly, leaving marks on a face that looked like the size of scratches from a distance. The giant let out a low growl in response -- at least, it could have been a low growl if he had been human-sized -- and he lunged forward and tried to grab Meta Knight. Mere seconds later, a large blast of blue energy hit him in the face, causing him to fall back to crash on the floor.

Maria's gaze moved sharply from Lang to where the source of the blast might have come from. She caught sight of Rock with his Mega Buster aimed in Lang's direction, Ike looking like he had been tripped and was very unhappy because of it.

 _"Enough!"_ Chaos called, appearing on the battlefield, holding his arms out in case the combatants decided to try and charge at each other. _"That was a good test of strength. Save what energy that remains for when the tournament begins tomorrow. You are going to need it."_

Rock kept his Buster up for a moment longer, studying Chaos for a moment. He dropped his arm pretty quickly, however, and after his armor had been switched out for the civilian clothes, he gave a nod. It took longer for Lang to shrink back to average human size, but he was not covered over in scratches and possible burns from the attacks that he had been hit with.

Ike got to his feet as Meta Knight came over. The two observed each other for a moment, then gave a nod and returned to their places at the table and started to dig in.

Rock hurried back to his place, and Maria gave him a grin as soon as he had sat down.

"Not bad," she praised. "You held yourself up pretty well against Lang and Ike."

"It was pretty hard, though," Rock responded. "I can tell that they're seasoned fighters."

"At least, Ike is," Scarlet noted. "His swordwork kind of reminds me of some Pokemon attacks -- Meta Knight's, too."

"Pokemon attacks?" Dr. Light looked over at Scarlet with a curious expression. "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"The both of us can explain, Doc," Scarlet responded, motioning to herself and Maria. "Maria knows more than I do, though."

"You flatter me," Maria replied, looking a little embarrassed. "You're the Pokemon Ranger -- you should know more than a Trainer."

"You got turned _into_ a Pokemon -- that gives you more experience than I could ever get."

Dr. Light and Rock exchanged glances as the two girls glared at each other with.

Maria was the first to break away, a smirk appearing on her face as she turned to look at Rock and his creator. "You remember when Tails and Kintobor came by?"

**Time Break!**

Maria stepped off the warp panel and into her sleeping quarters, a grin spread across her face and a warm feeling in her chest. The conversation she had gotten into with Rock, Scarlet, and Dr. Light turned out to be one of the best ways to get the attention of other competitors -- as well as a great way to start up a conversation.

Stark had instantly been intrigued by the idea that creatures that looked like Earthen mammals were capable of doing things that superheroes were usually attributed with. Then he had asked about Scarlet's appearance and they got into a conversation on Mobians, which got Sonic somehow involved. They had wrapped up the conversation with connecting Chaos with the water creature Sonic had once fought before the mentioned Psychic-Type had sent them all back to their rooms to relax before the start of the festivities the next day.

This was something that Maria was definitely planning on doing. She dropped herself onto her bed and, grabbing her backpack, opened it up and pulled out an electronic device that looked like an electronic tablet. Eagerly, Maria turned it on.

"Let's see if there's any Internet connection to my home world in this place," she murmured. Mere minutes later, she was grinning hugely and chuckling as she scrolled through page after page of Internet hilarity.


	2. 1st Challenge

The next morning, Maria awoke recharged and reenergized.

"Feels like when I slept in those beds that recharged not only my energy, but my Pokemon team's," Maria noted as she slipped out of bed. Out of habit, she rearranged the sheets so that they looked at least somewhat like the bed hadn't been slept in. She figured that someone might come by later and fix her handiwork, but Maria didn't mind if they didn't.

As she looked around the room, she noticed that a couple things had changed: the sign that was next to the warp panel had been switched out for a neater script, the sign now reading "Dining hall," and there was some sort of video screen next to it that looked like some sort of message board.

Curious, Maria walked over to the message board and pressed the power button that was in the center of the bottom of the frame. It instantly sprang to life, a small group of paragraphs appearing on the screen:

_"Welcome to the Smash Worlds Tournament!_

_"This contest is run very much like a series of games that will test people from across the Multiverse. Some will win, some will lose -- that comes with any kind of tournament._

_"As this is a different type of tournament than Marvel vs. Capcom or Smash Brothers, things are going to be run a little differently: a challenge will start the tournament, and it will involve an area from a world that most of you are most likely familiar with, if this was covered in the conversations you had the night before._

_"The place is a Mystery Dungeon. The rules are simple: get to the end without getting knocked out, and you will continue to the next challenge. You may use items you find along the way to assist you._

_"The challenge starts after breakfast. Good luck!"_

The message was left without a signature, and after about two minutes, the entire message disappeared as the message board shut itself off.

Maria blinked, looking a little bewildered upon seeing the message. Seconds later, her eyes widened. "Mystery Dungeon -- they're taking a maze from the Pokemon World!" She turned and dashed for the warp panel, appearing in the dining hall soon after.

Maria quickly made her way to her seat, noticing that there were a few people at the table already -- Scarlet and Keith among them. When she plopped down into her seat, food -- french toast -- appeared on the plate that was there, and she promptly started eating. She knew that she would be needing the energy.

Scarlet looked over upon hearing Maria's silverware clank against the plate. "Hey. You look like you're in a hurry."

Maria paused mid-bite and looked over at the Mobian. "Yeah. You should eat something, at least. According to the message board-thingy in my room, we're going into a Mystery Dungeon today."

The midnight-furred Mobian that Maria knew to be Keith looked surprised. "A Mystery Dungeon? How did they manage that?"

"I don't know, but it probably has something to do with spacial warping -- most likely thanks to Palkia."

"What _is_ a Mystery Dungeon, specifically?" Scarlet asked, frowning.

"A maze," Maria replied. "The walls constantly shift, so you can't create a map of it. The number of floors that make up the maze never change, however, but they do vary from place to place -- as few as five to as many as one hundred or more. Wild Pokemon hide there, and only four Pokemon can go in as a team at most, depending on their size -- Pokemon as large as Dialga are one-man teams, so to speak."

"You said Pokemon, not Trainers," Scarlet stated, a slight frown coming over her face.

Maria nodded. "Pokemon can enter Mystery Dungeons. No one else. If we're going to be entering one for a challenge today, something tells me that we're going to get turned into Pokemon ourselves. Momentarily."

Scarlet and Keith looked at each other.

"Well, so long as it isn't permanent," Scarlet grumbled. "I'd hate to be stuck as a Stunky or something."

"I doubt you'd end up as one of those," Maria responded. "It's got to fit your personality, powers, or appearance. I'm a Vulpix, Sonic's a Sandslash, Knux is a Lucario...." Maria trailed off for a moment. "The trick is figuring out what could fit you, can considering that there's over 600 different species, that's going to be difficult."

Scarlet and Keith started to throw out possible species that either one of them could be while Maria finished off her breakfast and the other participants started to file into the dining hall. There was a soft murmur of conversation as the message was mulled over; Maria didn't bother to add her two cents as Keith and Scarlet were capable of spreading the statement around. There was a yellow blur going around on the opposite end of the table, and Maria thought that it looked oddly familiar.

Chaos suddenly appeared out of nowhere at the head of the table, causing all conversation to stop short.

 _"Today, it has been decided that you are to be tested,"_ Chaos stated. _"You all, thanks to be one of my allies, are going to be transformed into creatures from my home world. It will be temporary, so don't worry about being trapped in a for recent body for the rest of your life."_

"What's the point of the test?" Rock asked, giving the Pokemon a curious look. He seemed to be a little nervous, as well -- most likely because of Chaos' sudden appearance.

_"The Hands wish to pair up those who make it through the Mystery Dungeon for the tests that are ahead. They plan to pair you randomly through this test, and as Pokemon, it will be hard for you to identify others. To make it even more difficult to identify others, you will be kept from revealing your name to your fellow competitors."_

A large, blue portal suddenly appeared behind Chaos, and a large, pink and white dragon stepped through, a regal air about him.

 _"Greetings,"_ the Pokemon stated. _"I am Palkia, controller of space. I'm here to lend a hand in your little excursion. For those of you who are Pokemon -- or have been Pokemon -- already, you will remain in your present form or return to the form you had been in before."_

Maria's gaze moved around quickly. She caught sight of Sonic and Knuckles, further down her side of the table, exchanging glances and looking up at the Dragon/Water-Type with an eager (Sonic) and a curious (Knuckles) look on each of their faces.

_"However, only those present will participate. Meaning that those of you who brought teams of Pokemon will be unable to use them."_

Sonic frowned and snapped his fingers.

Palkia's gaze moved to Dr. Light, who was looking up at him with awe. _"And you will not participate, either. Your creations will be fine on their own."_

Maria stiffened a little, then looked around Dr. Light, catching sight of Roll and Blues, the latter looking like he was indifferent about the whole situation.

Dr. Light looked over at Rock, who gave him a quick nod. The roboticist then turned to look at Palkia and gave a nod. "Very well."

Palkia nodded. _"Good. Now we may begin. You might feel some discomfort as you transform."_

The pink jewel on the Pokemon's arm started to glow, and everything in the dining hall seemed to warp and merge together.

Maria blacked out.

**Line Break**

When Maria came to, she found herself lying on what felt like rock. She started to get up, only to discover that her form had been changed to force her to stand on all four limbs.

After quickly looking herself over, she found that she was indeed a Vulpix.

Maria grinned, delighted. "Familiar form -- good. Now to figure out if I'm in a familiar place."

The rest of the world pulled into focus, revealing dark stone walls and an open passage in front of Maria, next to a statue that looked like a beefed-up kangaroo.

Maria trotted over to the kangaroo and tapped on one of the creature's feet. A recorded voice came out of a speaker on the pouch: "This is Spacial Rift."

The Vulpix smirked. "What better place is there for a test? All right. Let's see if I can find a spare Treasure Bag and some Reviver Seeds." She nosed around at the base of the statue, only to come up with nothing.

Maria frowned. "Well, looks like I won't be getting any help from there." She looked over at the opening in the wall in front of her. "I've got no other choice other than to go in unprepared." She trotted over to the opening and entered the Dungeon.

Almost instantly, Maria sensed -- and saw -- that something was up. There were hardly any Pokemon in the area, and those that were had been knocked out cold. Obviously, someone -- or something -- had come trough there earlier and decimated the inhabitants, and whoever it was happened to be up ahead.

Maria quickened her pace, running through the narrow passageways and larger corridors that made up the Dungeon. Whoever it was that had knocked out these Pokemon, she was curious about meeting him.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar that shook the air around her, followed not too long after by a thorough ground-shaking, forcing Maria to run in a zig-zag pattern in order to avoid the boulders falling from the walls and the cracks that appeared in the ground, coming from somewhere ahead of her.

 _Someone's using Earthquake!_ Maria identified. She sped up her pace as the shaking continued. _Could be a Rhyperior, but those aren't really seen around here. Neither are Dugtrio or any other Ground-Types. Unless...._

Maria came to a screeching halt as the end of the corridor neared and the Earthquake subsided. Cautiously, she stepped forward and into a chamber. Within it, Magnezone, Electrivire, and Magmortar were either fleeing to other places or lying fainted on the ground. The only Pokemon that was standing was a large blue, mud-fish like creature with white spikes coming out of its cheeks, and red fins on top of its head and serving as a tail.

Maria recognized the Pokemon instantly. _Must be one of the contestants...._ She approached the figure carefully, then sat down a few feet away from him; the Vulpix was surprised that she hadn't remembered that this kind of Pokemon could look so big or intimidating to someone of her present size.

"Excuse me," Maria calmly stated.

The Pokemon's head turned, and it caught sight of Maria. "Who or what are you supposed to be?" it asked.

Maria made a mental note that the Pokemon was a male before she responded, "I'm a Pokemon known as a Vulpix. As for my real name, you remember what Chaos said before we ended up here."

The Pokemon frowned. "Chaos?"

Maria realized he didn't know who she was referring to. "Mewtwo. I know him by a different name."

"Oh." The large Pokemon brought his head down to get a closer look at Maria. "If you're a Vulpix, then what am I?"

"A Swampert," Maria replied calmly. "You're capable of using attacks that are based off of ground or water elements. I'm a Fire-Type, so I can use fire-based attacks, and my Type is weak to yours."

The Swampert nodded slightly. "I guess I could call you Vulpix, then?"

"For now," Maria replied, nodding in agreement. "And I'll call you Swampert." She got to her feet and trotted around the larger Pokemon, ears up and alert as she looked around. Spotting another opening, she started trotting over to it. "Come on. We probably don't have much time."

The ground rumbled slightly as Swampert followed. "You've been here before, haven't you?"

"Yup," Maria replied, not bothering to glance back as they entered the corridor. "This place is called Spacial Rift. It is known to be the home of Palkia -- the creature that brought us here and changed our forms. I've come down here a couple times to do a few things for the Pokemon in the area."

"Can you--"

"Mystery Dungeons are known to shift and change, so it's impossible to map them. However, I _can_ sense where we can gain access to the next level."

Swampert let out a snort of surprise. "That's useful."

"Comes from a lot of experience in places like this." Maria stopped as they reached another chamber, catching sight of an opening in the ground that had stairs leading down it. "There. That leads to the next floor." She turned around and looked up at Swampert. "We keep going until we reach the floor Palkia's hanging out on, and then we're done. It's going to be difficult, however, considering that we're probably going to be attacked on all sides by wild Pokemon and the other competitors."

"You think that is going to happen?" Swampert frowned.

"You were surrounded by Pokemon that were weak to your Typing before I got to you," Maria pointed out. "I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into someone else."

Swampert let out a grunt, looked around for a moment, then stepped forward and started down the stairs. Maria trotted after him.

The next floor was, once again, the same gray rock as the last floor had been. Only, this time, they were confronted with something new: a pair of figures that didn't look like they belonged in the area.

A black bat with four wings, his eyes a pure white and a yellow stripe wrapped around his middle, was perched on top of a red, silver, and gold metal Pokemon that was levitating. The bat Pokemon looked annoyed.

"You two."

Maria looked up at the bat Pokemon, cocking her head slightly in curiosity.

"Do either of you know anything about what's going on around here?" the bat asked.

 _"And what either of us are?"_ the metal Pokemon added.

Maria looked over the two Pokemon for a moment. "The bat Pokemon is a Crobat and you are a Metang. I am a Vulpix and my friend is a Swampert." She nodded to the gray walls as she continued, "This place is called Spacial Rift. It's the home of Palkia, the creature that brought us here." The Vulpix looked back at the two as she continued, "I believe that we have to reach him in the deepest part of the Rift in order for the test to be finished off. The trick is surviving the trip down."

"So we gathered." Crobat took off from his perch, and flew down to get a closer look at Maria. "You've been here before, haven't you." The question was said in such a way that Maria almost mistook it as a statement.

The Vulpix launched into an explanation as to what a Mystery Dungeon was, adding that there were about fifteen floors that they had to get through in Spacial Rift.

"We could end up getting kicked out of the competition if we just hang back and talk," Maria warned. "We have to keep moving."

 _"We?"_ Metang blinked. _"Are you suggesting that we work together?"_

Maria looked up at Swampert. "The more of us that stick together, the more likely that we'll end up moving on."

Swampert frowned, then nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. I've found that working in teams can give an advantage."

"I prefer working alone," Crobat responded flatly. He turned and started for an open corridor, only to suddenly stop short a few feet away from Maria when an Electrivire appeared out of nowhere, blocking the entrance.

Swampert started to raise his front feet. "Let me--"

"No!" Maria jumped in front of him. "Metang and I are weak to an Earthquake! Use that and he and I could both be knocked out!"

The Water/Ground-Type paused, then slowly lowered his paws. "What are you suggesting we do to get rid of that thing, then?"

Maria turned to face the Electrivire. "I can take him." She walked forward, stopping in front of Crobat.

The Electrivire stepped forward, as well. Electricity started to travel up and down the Pokemon's arms.

"Extrasensory!" Maria yelled. A psychic wave of energy flowed out from her and into the Electric-Type, causing it to stumble back a little as the energy came back to Maria and formed an illusion around her -- that of a larger Vulpix.

Electrivire shook his head, then sent a ball of electricity in Crobat's direction. Swampert moved in front and created a shield of blue energy that had red on the outer edge and a white star in the center.

"Faint Attack!" Maria called. She vanished, then reappeared a moment later when something smacked into the Electrivire, causing it to stumble out of the way of the passage. The Pokemon collapsed a moment later.

The three Pokemon that were with Maria looked at the little Fire-Type in surprise.

 _"That's a lot of power for a kid your size,"_ Metang noted.

"I'm a level 80," Maria responded dismissively. "Of course I'd have a lot of power." She turned and looked at the opening, then back at the other three. "Are we going to keep going or not?"

"We're going," Crobat stated flatly. He flew forward into the corridor, Metang following close behind.

"Something tells me that Crobat has seen a lot," Maria remarked to Swampert as they started down the passageway.

"I'm getting the same feeling from you," Swampert responded, looking down at Maria with a curious expression. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Ummm...." Maria frowned. "Seventeen." She looked back, only to see that Swampert had stopped short in surprise. "What?"

"I never thought that someone so young would get pulled into this," Swampert admitted, starting forward again. "It's too --"

"Dangerous?" Maria gave the Water/Ground-Type an amused look. "I've done and seen things that could make you look at me differently." She turned and started forward again, hearing the plodding footsteps of Swampert behind her start up again.

They met up with Crobat and Metang again, only to find the two of them staring down a Ditto who was colored in two different shades of pink. The Normal-Type clearly looked confused and disoriented.

Maria trotted over, her ears straight up as she tried to discern whether or not the Ditto was a threat. It seemed to her that the Pokemon was trying to see the same thing about them, because it hadn't transformed yet.

Or, it didn't know _how_ to transform.

The Ditto looked around warily, watching the other Pokemon approach. When Maria got into a crouch and looked like she was ready to pounce, the Normal-Type let out a yelp and started to take in a deep breath, only to stop short and start coughing.

Maria frowned and cocked her head to one side in confusion, getting out of her crouch and into a sitting position.

Then Ditto pounced, its form suddenly increasing in size as it aimed for Crobat, who flew up to avoid the Pokemon.

Maria reared back, then fired a stream of flames at Ditto, who jumped away to avoid it, putting Metang in the line of fire. The flames parted, however, leaving him unharmed.

"Hey!" Maria barked, glaring daggers at Ditto. "You just made me waste a good Flamethrower!"

Ditto looked at her in alarm upon hearing this.

"Allow me." Crobat brought back his wings, then thrust them forward, creating a large blast of wind that sent Ditto careening. A moment later, the Flying/Poison-Type vanished with a burst of speed, reappearing a moment later with a blast of dark energy as he slammed into Ditto.

The pink blob collapsed, swirls replacing its eyes. It disappeared in a blast of light a moment later.

"Nice use of Gust and Faint Attack," Maria offered, looking up at Crobat. "Have you been in a situation like this before?"

"No," Crobat replied shortly. He looked over at Metang, then flew over to a corridor entrance and stopped there.

Metang glared at Crobat, then let out a sigh and looked over at Maria and Swampert. _"Looks like he wants us to split up. See you at the finish line?"_

"Sure," Maria replied coolly.

Metang gave a nod, then followed after Crobat, both disappearing down the corridor.

"Now what?" Swampert asked, looking down at Maria.

"Now, we find those stairs." Maria closed her eyes, and her ears swiveled towards another corridor -- opposite of the one that Crobat and Metang had gone through. Opening her eyes, the Vulpix declared, "That way."

"Are you sure?" Swampert looked back in the direction the other two Pokemon had gone.

"I'm positive." A frown came over Maria's face. "However, there is still a chance that we might end up having to go a different direction. The floors are designed to be mazes, so there's dead ends all over the place."

"Joy," Swampert stated with a deadpan expression.

"Don't worry about it; so long as we move quickly, we should be fine." Maria started off down the corridor confidently, the Water/Ground-Type following close behind. "And if we run into anybody, we do have abilities that we can use to take them out."

"You mean like the earthquakes I can cause?"

"Exactly. That's the name of the attack, as well. Pokemon can have four techniques to use in battle at most, but I've heard rumors of others who have been able to call upon multiple movesets." Maria looked back. "And I saw you put up a Protect shield earlier, so we know at least two of your attacks. You should probably have a Water-Type move in your arsenal, as well, meaning that Magmortar have two things to fear about you."

"What do you mean?"

Maria looked back at Swampert, who had a bemused expression on his face.

A smirk appeared on her own. "Looks like I'll have to explain to you about Type match-ups."


	3. Chapter 3

Maria led Swampert into a large cavern with a scattering of Pokemon as they came off the base of the stairs.

"Hey! Glad to see another group made it!"

The two turned to see a blue Sandslash waving from where he stood next to a red and yellow Linoone. Maria thought his voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard him before.

"It wasn't difficult," Maria replied calmly as she and Swampert came over. "I've come down here a few times before."

"You _have?_ " The Linoone gawked in surprise. "How? When?"

"I've traveled to the planet the Spacial Rift is a part of before." The Vulpix shrugged. "It wasn't difficult to get through it."

"Although I had to be careful about using Earthquake," Swampert rumbled.

Sandslash laughed. "Tell me about it! Linoone kept running all over the place, so it was hard to hit the other Pokemon without hitting him."

"And you kept rolling all over the place!" Linoone responded. "You got something for spinning or something?"

The two glared at each other for a moment before starting to run around the chamber at high speed, disrupting the other groups.

"Keep thy running to a minimum!" a large, four-legged beast growled. The thunderclouds on his back roiled in response to the Pokemon's anger.

The Pikachu sitting at the other Electric-Type's feet let out a sigh and shook his head. "I doubt they're going to stop just because you told them, Raikou. They don't seem like the kind to listen. Besides, that Sandslash could take out the both of us."

"And me," Maria added, coming over. She looked up at the Raikou with surprise. "I didn't think that one of the contestants would turn out to be a Legendary."

The Raikou looked somewhat confused. "Legendary?"

"Some Pokemon, although their Types are common, are extremely rare and powerful," the Pikachu explained. "Raikou are known to be capable of controlling thunderstorms."

Raikou looked extremely proud upon hearing this. "I am proud to hear that my form is legend among these creatures." He gave Maria a curious look. "How do you know this, pray tell?"

"I spent some time among the people and Pokemon that inhabit this specific world," Maria replied. "And I'm not going to forget so easily."

Pikachu gave Maria a strange look, like he was trying to figure her out.

Before he could say anything, however, the area was bathed in a bright light, forcing the Pokemon in the area to cover their eyes. As the light faded, the group of Pokemon lowered their paws in order to see where the light had originated from.

"Palkia!" Maria exclaimed, grinning up at the large, pink Water/Dragon-Type.

The Pokemon nodded in acknowledgement at Maria's exclamation. _"You are the contestants who succeeded in reaching this point, and are moving on to the next round. Those who are not moving on are those known as Kirby, Yellow Jacket, AntMan, and many others. They will be allowed to stay if they wish, or return to their worlds."_

The Pokemon present looked at each other, then back at Palkia.

"So, we're going back?" Swampert asked.

As if in response, Palkia let out a roar, and Maria's vision blacked out.

**Line Break**

When Maria came to, she had a minor headache. She rubbed her forehead to try and get rid of the throbbing (showing that she was, indeed, human again) as she sat up to have a look at her surroundings. Much to her surprise, she was back in the dining hall, only the table was gone and replaced with cots. Looking around, Maria took note that the cots were placed in pairs and scattered about the room with figures lying on them starting to stir.

There was a low moan to Maria's left, and her head turned, catching sight of a figure lying on a bed directly next to hers.

The figure was a man in a red, white, and blue costume designed after the American flag, with the only star anywhere on his outfit on his chest. The mask was somewhat like a hood in the way that it was connected to the costume, with what looked like wings on either side of the top of his head, with an "A" right in the middle of his forehead.

Maria sucked in a breath as her headache disappeared. _Why hadn't I made the connection earlier? Of course it was him!_

The man's eyes snapped open, and he sat up slowly, obviously pained with a headache similar to the one Maria had suffered from momentarily.

"You'd think that Palkia could do that _without_ some sort of side-effect," he muttered. He looked over and locked eyes with Maria.

The girl shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't know how he even managed to make it so that your costume's colors still showed after you'd been transformed." She held out her right hand. "The name's Maria, by the way. Maria White."

The man took her hand and shook it. "Captain America."

Maria's eyes sparked with delight as others around them were coming to. "It's an honor to meet you -- now that we're not Pokemon anymore, at least." She chuckled. "Looks like we're going to be working together."

"Looks like it," Cap agreed. His gaze went around the room, watching the pairs wake up. "Where's the bat and the metal thing?"

Maria's gaze went around the cots, stopping when she caught sight of a pair of familiar figures -- one of them glaring at the other. A smirk appeared on her face. "Batman and Iron Man. I should have guessed."

Cap gave Maria a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Both have identities that have a lot of money and own enterprises, but Batman -- the Crobat -- is more serious while Stark is a bit of a playboy both in and out of the suit." A grin spread across Maria's face. "It's going to be interesting to see how Bats handles Stark."

Maria looked around against catching sight of another pair. "There's Pika -- the Pikachu. And it looks like...." She let out a short laugh. "I should have guessed that the Raikou was Thor!"

"No! Not you!" came a wail from one side of the room.

Maria's head turned, and her face paled upon seeing who had yelled.

 _Dr. Wily_ was looking at a cloaked figure in shock and anger.

"Great," she muttered under her breath, shaken. "I should have known this wasn't going to be easy."

Chaos appeared in the center of the circle of cots. _"Congratulations to those of you who succeeded in moving on. The next challenge will take place tomorrow, but you will be given time to rest and get to know your chosen partner if need be. I know that some of you already know your partners...."_ He looked over at a pair of figures directly; Rock and Roll grinned at each other. _"Consider this good time to explore the area. You may return to the dining hall within a few hours."_ With that, Chaos teleported away, leaving the contestants to converse.

"Well, this is certainly going to be interesting," Maria noted. She looked around the room for a moment before returning her gaze to Cap. "We'd better find _something_ to do, at least. I don't want to sit around waiting for dinner."

"The people who run this place probably have something to remedy that," Cap replied after a moment of thought. He slipped off his cot mere seconds before Maria. "Having a look around wouldn't be a bad idea."

The girl nodded in agreement, and the two walked over to a large doorway and slipped out of the dining hall, arriving at what appeared to be a large park of some sort.

Maria let out a whistle. "Looks like they've got everything." She looked out over the area at a small collection of buildings out in the slightly wooded area.

"Let's go check it out," Cap agreed. He started down the gentle slope towards the collection of buildings, Maria following close behind. "I haven't run into a kid like you before. Have you done something like this?"

"A tournament like this?" Maria shook her head. "I've competed as a Trainer of Pokemon in other places, but not something like this."

"Trainer?" Cap frowned. "Do you live on that world?"

"Me?" Maria shook her head. "No. I've traveled there, but I don't live there. My home isn't one that's had an invite like this before." She glanced down at her form, glad that her holoform was still active.

"Oh?"

Maria looked back at Cap and gave a nod. "While you guys are more famous, most people don't think twice about my world." A smirk appeared on her face. "At least, not before I came around."

The two reached the collection of buildings, which turned out to be a group of shops, a hotel, and a couple empty places that looked like they were being repurposed.

"Quaint," Maria noted, looking around with a smirk.

"Looks like they pretty much planned everything for the contestants," Cap agreed. He looked over at Maria. "You know, I didn't expect someone like you to get involved with those creatures we were transformed into."

Maria shrugged. "I didn't expect to get transformed into a Vulpix when I went there at first." She looked over at a white building with a red roof and offered a wave to a few figures that were standing there; the group waved back. "I've actually done a lot of things that I never expected that I would do." Maria looked back at Cap with a somewhat curious expression. "What about you? Ever done anything you didn't expect yourself to do?"

The Avenger frowned slightly, then gave a nod. "When we were sent to those different realms Thor seems to be connected with. I didn't expect myself to end up in the land of the dead...."

Maria frowned slightly. "With...Hel, right?" Cap gave her a curious look, causing her to explain, "I ended up doing some research into ancient Viking myths for a history paper, so I know a few things about what you guys ran into."

"You're still in school?"

"I'm only seventeen, like I said before." Maria shrugged. "The stuff I do just doesn't mess with my 'mild-mannered' schedule like it does for some of you guys." She stopped in front of a building that looked like it was being built into a dojo of some sort, then looked over at Cap. "And by 'some,' I mean those who decided that they'd pretend to have a life besides being heroes."

Cap frowned. "Where do you come from, anyway?"

Maria chuckled lightly. "My home world is connected to everyone else's, but only because we get information from those other worlds though TV shows, comic books, and video games. And that includes yours." She smirked.

Cap looked curious. "So you know about --"

"Your origins? Yeah. Same with the rest of the Avengers and the others here." Maria shrugged. "It's kind of a given to know that at home."

Cap frowned. "So you're at an advantage against the other contestants."

Maria frowned, but then her eyes widened. "Yeah, in a way, you're right -- I know things about everyone else that they've kept secret. That could put us at an advantage." She frowned again. "But that wouldn't exactly be fair to everyone else...."

"Keep in mind that there are villains here as well as the rest of us." Cap looked over one shoulder and caught sight of Bowser stomping through town, a miniature version of him toddling after the large turtle-like monster.

Maria glanced back and allotted herself a slight smile. "Bowser and his son aren't going to be a problem. A pair of plumbers who are brothers can take him out by slamming him in the head multiple times with large hammers." She shrugged. "Mario and Luigi can handle him if he gets to be more villainous than recommended."

"It's not him that I'm worried about," Cap replied with a somewhat dark tone.

Maria looked up at him with a curious expression, then saw that he was looking elsewhere. Following his gaze, she caught sight of a dark figure slip out of sight. The edge of a bit of fabric appeared in her vision for a second, causing her to smirk.

"Batman's no threat," Maria stated calmly. "He's another hero, like you and the Avengers. Started out solo in Gotham, his hometown, but now he's a member of the Justice League. He likes to keep tabs on possible opponents, that's all."

"You sound like you know him pretty well."

Maria shrugged, then started to walk around again, Cap following with a curious expression. "Batman was the first hero that I really came across, and I know a lot about him: his past, his gear, the names of his allies." She glanced back, suspecting that the Dark Knight was following her. "I'm not planning on saying anything about him unless I have to, though."

"Same with everyone else?"

"Unless they give me permission, I'm not planning on saying anything." Maria sent Cap a smirk. She looked around again at the buildings. "We should probably be talking about strategies and techniques instead of this stuff."

"Or, seeing as _I'm_ at a disadvantage, you could tell me about yourself."

Maria let out a laugh. "Sure, I _could_ do that. But there are some things that I would prefer to keep secret." She smiled slightly, then stated, "I first got into this whole 'superhero' business by accident, mainly because of a certain fat cat who was created by Walt Disney when he started making cartoon shorts...."

**Time Break**

"...and that's why I know so much about being a Pokemon," Maria finished as she and Cap started up the slope towards the dining hall.

"That's some story," Cap stated. "I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't been turned into them ourselves."

Maria nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's that kind of situation. What really gets me, though, is that my sister hasn't really traveled to any other worlds besides...." She frowned as she thought back to the one other time the two had traveled to the same world.

Cap took note of the look on her face and shook his head. "From what I've learned, you can never underestimate fate."

Maria looked up at the Avenger as they reached the door that led into the dining hall. "Yeah, you're probably right. I seem to have had all sorts of incidents so far that have ended up with me on top. It's just...strange, how things have ended out." She shrugged.

The two entered the dining hall, the sunlight slanting through the entrance with a golden hue. Already, others were in the area, looking at a new setup with slight confusion: the long table had been separated into smaller ones and were scattered around the room. Chaos was floating around, directing groups of figures to certain tables.

"Hey, Chaos," Maria called out as she and Cap approached the Mewtwo. "What's with the new set-up?"

 _"To help the remaining contestants get to know each other, we've arranged it so that contestants and their combat partners can get to know those of worlds that are not their own."_ He nodded to Maria. _"As you are going to be treading on familiar ground, I doubt you will have any problem with this set-up."_

"No problem at all," Maria confirmed with a grin.

Cap looked around the room, taking note that the Avengers were scattered around the tables with the other figures. "Where are we going to be sitting tonight, then?"

 _"The Mobians are going to be your hosts for tonight."_ Chaos motioned towards a nearby table, where the Mobians were dwarfed by the humans that were there already.

"Thanks!" Maria started over towards the table, Cap following behind.

"Mobians?" Cap repeated.

"Their home planet is called 'Mobius'," Maria explained. "It's home to both humans and the anthropomorphic animals. I've made a lot of friends among them."

The two reached the table as Sonic turned his attention away from a familiar brown Mobian with a shock of red hair on top of her head.

Maria and the blue hedgehog exchanged grins as she and Cap sat down in the only two untaken seats -- which happened to be right next to each other.

"You got turned into a Vulpix again, right?" Sonic guessed from her right.

Maria nodded. "And you were the blue Sandslash I saw."

The hedgehog winked. "Yup! I'm glad that I could still do my Spin Dash, even if it was another move."

Maria smirked. "Rollout or Rapid Spin?"

"Rollout."

Upon noticing Cap frowning in slight confusion at the Mobian she was conversing with, Maria made a quick introduction. "Cap, this is Sonic the Hedgehog, a hero from planet Mobius and the fastest being in that sector of the universe. Sonic, this is Captain America, one of the Avengers from the Marvel Kingdom."

Sonic gave Cap a mock salute. "Hey."

Cap said nothing, instead giving the hedgehog a curious look. The hedgehog took note of this and grinned.

"Relax! I'm not going to bite your head off." He looked toward the other end of the table, where a black hedgehog with red highlights was sitting next to a teenage boy in a black costume with a "V" of cobalt across his front. "He might, though, if you get on his bad side."

"I'm sure Shadow's an old softie on the inside," a man wearing a red costume with lightning bolts remarked from where he sat on Sonic's right. "Not so sure about Nightwing, though." The man zipped around the table to Cap and shook his hand vigorously. "Name's Flash. I'm one of the Justice League members who came by for this little shindig."

"DC Kingdom, right?" Maria guessed with a smile. She held out her own hand. "I'm Maria White, the one Cap's partnered up with."

Flash accepted the gesture and shook Maria's hand. "Nice to meet ya, kid." He zipped back to his seat. "What do you specialize in, anyway?"

"I'm a fire user," Maria explained, "and my home is a bit of a nexus for information on all the kingdoms. For instance, you got your powers in a forensics lab when an accident involving chemicals and a lightning bolt occurred."

"Whoa," Flash stated, his eyes widening. "You'd better not say anything about who I am under the mask."

Maria nodded. "I won't, but I highly doubt that anyone here is going to travel to your world anytime soon."

"So you know who I am, then," stated a voice.

Everyone turned their heads to look over at Nightwing, who was looking at Maria with a neutral expression.

Maria blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. You're Nightwing, a former apprentice of Batman's. before you were Nightwing, you were Robin. As for your own past and secret identity, that's for you to reveal, not me."

Nightwing inclined his head, then gave a nod in acknowledgement. "Good." He returned his attention to Shadow, who had been watching the human with what appeared to be minor interest.

"You know about these guys, Maria?" Sally spoke up from where she sat next to Sonic.

Maria smiled at the Mobian. "Course I do." She looked back over at Nightwing. "Batman and Nightwing were the first two human superheroes I was introduced to. Then came the rest of the Justice League and everybody else that I've run into." An embarrassed look came over her face, and she rubbed the back of her neck in a nervous manner. "In fact, I've kind of got a soft spot for the JLA because they were the first heroes that I ran into." She looked over at Sally again. "So, who did you get partnered up with?"

"Me," replied a voice.

Maria peered around Sally, catching sight of a familiar figure: a young girl with short, red hair, and blue eyes.

"Hey, Kairi," Maria greeted. "How're you doing?"

"Pretty well." Kairi smiled slightly. "I didn't expect myself to become a pink puffball, though."

Maria chuckled. "A Jigglypuff, huh? It certainly suits you."

"So, what about the rest of you?" Kairi asked, looking around. "What did the rest of you end up turning into?"

"Swampert," Cap grunted.

"Vulpix," Maria volunteered. She pointed at Sonic and Flash in turn. "And I saw that those two were a Sandslash and a Linoone, which I found odd on Flash's part."

"Why?" Flash asked.

"Because Linoone are only good at running in straight lines. The way you were turning corners back in Spacial Rip makes me think that Palkia managed to mess with your form so that you wouldn't be hindered."

Flash blinked. "Okaaay...?"

Sonic laughed. "That's Maria for ya! A walking Pokemon encyclopedia!"

Maria smiled wryly at Sonic's statement, then looked over at where Shadow and Nightwing were sitting. "As for you two, I'd have to guess that Nightwing was either a bat Pokemon of some sort, or a Murkrow, considering the name you decided to choose for yourself."

Nightwing's eyes narrowed slightly. "I was a bird," he finally stated, "but I didn't know its name. Batman was a bat creature, I take it?"

"Crobat," Maria confirmed. "They have four wings and are known for their speed." She looked over at Shadow. "And you were either a black Sandslash, or a Dark-Type that matched your personality and abilities."

Shadow gave a nod. "Mighteyna."

"So, what are your worlds like?" piped up a new voice.

Maria looked over at the opposite end of the table Shadow and Nightwing were sitting near. Catching sight of the one who had spoken, a pink hedgehog with green eyes, she gave a half smile.

"Everything's pretty quiet at home," Maria stated. "Khrista's little game and big reveal that your world can be accessed did raise a few heads, but no one's tried going there as far as I know. Probably the only thing that is notable is I ended up getting Arceus' attention concerning a certain virus, but other than that...." She shrugged.

"Arceus?" Cap frowned.

"Super-powered Pokemon," Sonic spoke up. "Maria's friends with him for one reason or another."

"What can I say?" Maria asked with a chuckle. "I've got connections." She looked over at Cap. "What about you guys?"

"It's been pretty quiet," Flash spoke up. A frown appeared on his face. "Which is odd, since the Joker or someone else is _usually_ up to something."

Maria frowned, as well, but didn't look too concerned. "Maybe...." She turned around, craning her neck in order to see what might be happening at one of the other tables. There was one table in a far corner of the room that caught her attention, as it looked like the shadows sitting around it were huddled around something.

Maria turned back around. "I think they're on that table over there." She jabbed a thumb in the direction of the table.

Flash turned around quickly in order to see what was going on. A moment later, he smirked. Turning to look at Sonic, he said, "Race ya!" and took off.

"Wha -- hey!" Sonic looked indignant. "No fair getting a head start!" He leapt out of his seat and took off after the speeding human, who had started running around the dining hall. Two blurs, red and blue, started to circle the room, weaving around the tables at high speed.

Maria rolled her eyes as Shadow gave the two an annoyed glare.

"Does that...usually happen?" Cap asked.

Sally shook her head. "Sonic is the only Mobian who has any natural speed like that. He was born with it."

"Born with it?" Nightwing sounded slightly surprised. "You can't be serious."

"She is," Maria responded. "Shadow can mimic that speed, but only because of his hover shoes, which I don't think ever leave his sight."

The black hedgehog sent Maria a look, then turned his attention to his food -- which happened to be a chili dog for some reason....

"Other than Scourge, Sonic really hasn't had any natural competition," Sally added.

"Scourge?"

Maria turned her head towards the speaker, eyes widening slightly upon seeing who was sitting next to Knuckles.

"What kind of animal is that?" the man in a yellow and black costume growled.

"An evil version of Sonic," Maria replied, slightly surprised. "He's had run-ins with alternate versions of himself before, and Scourge has been at the forefront a lot of the time."

Wolverine eyed Maria for a moment, then let out a noncommittal grunt.

There was a loud screeching noise behind them; Maria turned to see that Sonic and Flash had come to a halt behind them. The hedgehog walked back over to his seat, grinning triumphantly, but Flash zipped over to Nightwing for a moment, muttered something, then zipped back to his seat.

The look that came over the masked teenager's face made Maria force down an involuntary shudder. She had seen a look like that a few times before, but in person Nightwing's glare looked like it could kill a person if he looked at them directly.

"I take it that villains from your world were pulled into this, too," Maria stated carefully.

Nightwing simply scowled, but said nothing.

 _"As you have all had at least a preliminary introduction to who your combat partners are,"_ Chaos suddenly spoke up, _"there is something that must be done before you are allowed to turn in for the night."_

Maria turned around in her seat, as did Cap and a few others, so that she could get a better look at the Mewtwo. The Reploid caught sight of the excited look in the Pokemon's eyes, and a smirk appeared on her face.

 _"There are a few of you who look like you could do with letting off some steam,"_ Chaos continued. _"Two teams are going to fight tonight before curfew is called. One will continue on in the competition, but the other will not be allowed to compete -- however, they will be allowed to remain."_

"Who's going to throw it down?" Knuckles called out. He cracked his namesakes, a smirk on his face.

Chaos sent him and Wolverine a look, then shook his head. _"Not you."_ His gaze moved to two other members. _"It will be Sonic and Flash against...."_ Chaos moved his gaze again. _"Bowser and his youngest son."_

The large, yellow creature with a green shell covered in spikes looked over at what looked like a younger version of himself. The two shared huge grins.

"Where to?" the larger of the two asked, looking over at Chaos.

 _"I believe you may be familiar with the set-up,"_ the Psychic-Type replied. _"It is one of the many stages that have been used over the years."_ He started towards a wall, a pair of tall, wooden doors materialized -- seemingly from nowhere. _"If you would follow me, please."_ Chaos disappeared through the doors and out of sight.

The various people on the tables looked at each other. Bowser and his son got up from their table first.

"Better not keep him waiting," Bowser stated, grinning. "Come on, Junior."

"Coming, Dad!" Bowser Jr. jumped from his seat and scampered after the Koopa King, who sent a mischievous grin in Sonic's and Flash's direction.

Sonic glared after him. "I've been waiting to bust that guy's shell wide open." He looked over at Flash. "You up for it?"

Flash watched the two creatures for a moment, then smirked. "I'm game. Those two don't look so tough." He got to his feet, gave his combat partner a grin, then took off for the door. Sonic followed seconds later.

"We shouldn't leave them to have all the fun," Maria stated with a smirk of her own. "Come on." She got to her feet and started to follow after them. "There should be seats or something we can watch this from."

"What makes you say that?" Cap spoke up.

"I've read things with stuff like this before," Maria replied over her shoulder. "We're usually allowed to watch--"

The doors opened up again before Maria could get within a few feet of them, and Chaos stepped out again. He was followed closely by Sonic and Flash, who looked like they were a little scorched, but they weren't too damaged. Bowser followed, carrying the small form that was Junior. They looked a little worse for the wear, and the younger one was knocked out.

Chaos saw Maria standing there and gave her an apologetic smile. _"Apologies, Maria. It seems this fight went faster than the others. When I was about to bring you inside to watch, Sonic and Flash had already defeated Bowser and his son."_

"Which means that the Koopa King is out of the running?" asked Cap.

_"Indeed. They will be allowed to stay here for the duration of the competition, if they so choose."_

"Yeah, we will!" Bowser responded. "I want to see where these greenies end up getting into!"

" _Greenies_?" Wolverine growled, standing up. "I'll show you greenie, you overgrown turtle!"

"I'd suggest saving that for tomorrow," Maria spoke up. "You never know what you're going to run into with all of these people around here."

 _"Indeed,"_ Chaos agreed. Behind him, the doors shut tightly and disappeared. _"Tomorrow, we will start with the tournament side of the competition. Be prepared."_ With that, the Pokemon teleported out.

Bowser let out a grunt. "Stupid teleporters." He walked over to the warp panel that was located in one corner of the dining hall and disappeared.

"It looks like we've got the rest of the night off," Sonic noted. He zipped over to Sally, then disappeared in a blur of blue and brown for the warp panel. After he had disappeared, the others started for the warp panel themselves, disappearing in flashes of yellow.

Maria started for the panel herself, only to be stopped when a hand clapped into her shoulder. Turning, she caught sight of Cap giving her a concerned look.

"You looked a little worried when we got back," the Avenger noted. "Did you see or hear something that set you off?"

Maria blinked, then looked down and away, concentrating on a tile on the floor, observing the intricate pattern. "There's...someone here. Someone that I ran into the last time I 'world-jumped,' when I got into something that I had never expected." Her eyes flickered over to Cap for a moment; he had a neutral expression on his face. "His name is Dr. Albert Wily. He knows his way around robotics like they were human anatomy." Maria's own expression hardened. "And he did something to me that I don't prefer to remember, but I'm forced to because it's now a part of me."

She saw Cap's expression change, and Maria decided to tell him something else. Taking a step away from the Avenger, the girl's clothing flickered, then completely vanished, revealing something else underneath.

Cap's eyes widened as soon as he saw the red, orange, and gray armor which Maria was wearing. "What did he --"

"This isn't what he did," Maria replied. "Dr. Light did this," she motioned to her form, "to save my life when my own body couldn't stand the wounds I had been given in a stand-off against one of Wily's creations. What Wily did, affected up here." She tapped her head with a hand that looked like it was wearing one of Sonic's gloves. "I'd rather keep the rest of my story secret until another time." She turned and started for the warp panel again, but Cap grabbed her arm.

"Will it affect how you fight?" Cap asked in a serious tone.

"No," Maria replied with a deadpan expression. "Not unless I let it." She slipped out of the Avenger's grip, then started for the warp panel. Cap didn't attempt to stop her again.

When Maria entered her bedroom, she let out a sigh and sat down on the bed, looking more ragged than she had been in the dining hall. Placing her hands over her face, she ran them through her hair, a worried expression appearing on her face.

"What am I going to be getting into?" she asked quietly.

Deciding to try and get her mind off what had just happened, she pulled out her tablet again and accessed the FanFiction website. She went straight for the cartoons and started to look through the categories, then paused.

"I don't remember seeing _this_ one before," she muttered, tapping the screen. "I wonder what it is...."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Maria woke up the next morning with a lot on her mind, dampening whatever good mood that might have existed beforehand. She got up as her thoughts went back to what she had told Cap the night before.

"Should I have told him?" Maria asked, frowning. "I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to rely on that thing. And then there's the weird stuff that I read last night...."

The Reploid turned her attention to the monitor, which displayed a very short message:

_"There will be a short respite from tests, as we will be turning to a tournament-style elimination for the day. Your opponents will be announced during breakfast, so make sure you have everything you need on you."_

"Huh." Maria blinked. "I wonder if it's going to be one fight at a time, or everybody going at once." With this thought in mind, she stepped onto the warp panel and arrived in the dining hall.

The tables were still arranged in the same way they had been the night before. However, it appeared that those sitting _at_ them had been switched around.

It took Maria a moment before she found Captain America sitting next to Batman at a table that was clearly "DC Kingdom" based. His shield, which hadn't been with him the last time the Reploid had seen him, was leaning against his chair.

"Morning!" Maria greeted cheerily as she approached and collapsed into the empty chair next to Cap.

"Morning," responded the figure sitting across from her: a muscular man in a blue, red, and yellow costume. The most notable part of the outfit was the giant "S" on his chest. The figure sitting next to him was someone who was also familiar to Maria: a scarlet-furred Mobian that looked like a cross between a hedgehog, an echidna, and a fox. "So, you're the one partnered up with Captain America? Maria?"

Maria gave a nod. "That's right." A grin appeared on her face. "And you're Superman, or Kal-El."

Superman blinked in surprise. "How did you --"

"You guys are in cartoons and comic books where I come from," Maria stated calmly. "With you and Batman especially, it's kind of a given to know who you are under the mask."

Superman glanced over at the Dark Knight, who was glaring at Maria. Stark, who was in his armor (minus the helmet), gave Maria an interested look.

The Reploid, catching sight of this, added, "No, I'm not going to say anything. They're your secrets, not mine, and I respect that. Besides, you guys were the first superheroes that I ran into. If my abilities end up setting any of you on edge, I can always try old-fashioned fisticuffs."

"Is your armor a part of that?" Stark asked, motioning to Maria's appearance.

The Reploid looked down at her form for a second, then smirked. "I guess you could say that." She looked back up at the playboy millionaire in the armor. "But the armor's augmented my abilities; it's not the source."

"It isn't?" Stark frowned. "Then why do you wear it?"

"It won't come off because it's a part of me. Simple as that." Maria shrugged. "Dr. Light saved my life with it."

"So...it's a support system?"

"Something like that. But there's more to it. A lot more." The Reploid grabbed a couple pieces of bacon and ate them quickly, then started to reach for a blueberry muffin. The basket they were contained in was too far for her, however, and she only managed to grab one when it was lifted up from the table by an unseen force and moved towards her.

"Thanks!" Maria grabbed a rather large muffin and took a bit out of it as the basket moved back to its original position.

"It was no problem," replied the source of the movement: a man with green skin tone, red eyes, and a red and blue costume of sorts. "Please, what is your ability? I doubt that you will have anything that would leave you completely defenseless."

"Well, water _might_ short me out," Maria admitted after a moment of thought, "but I'm not quite sure that'll work completely." She looked over at the telepath for a moment, mentally going through the list of Justice League members. Mere moments later, she not only found the name of the figure, but also his weakness.

The Reploid's eyes widened. "I hope neither of us are forced to cross paths, Martian Manhunter."

The mentioned Martian frowned slightly. "Oh?"

"Y-yeah. If I got too carried away, I might end up getting the upper hand, and I doubt you'd want to be anywhere near me when that happens." Maria looked down at her muffin for a moment. "See, I'm kinda...a fire user."

Martian Manhunter's eyes widened. "A _fire_ user?" A slightly nervous look appeared on his face.

Maria nodded, a grim expression on her face. "I haven't lost control of it, and I don't plan to, especially now." She finished off her muffin quickly, allowing the table to fall into an uncomfortable silence.

"She's telling the truth," another voice picked up -- a boy with silver hair sitting next to the Martian. "Lea and I worked with her when she first learned about her abilities. You shouldn't have anything to fear from her."

Martian Manhunter gave Riku a slightly curious look. "Are you certain of this?"

Riku gave a nod. "Magic like what she has doesn't come unless it's summoned by the user. Maria won't lose control."

Batman looked down that table at the boy, his eyes narrowed into slits. It took Maria a moment to remember that the Dark Knight had run into magic before and didn't have a very good experience with it.

"What I do is nothing like what Etragan and his human host dabble in," the Reploid spoke up, looking directly at the vigilante from Gotham. This got Batman to turn his gaze on her, but Maria remained unfazed. "Probably the worst thing I could do is give you a nasty burn, if I don't rely on my secondary ability. Then you'd probably get blown into a wall."

Batman was about to open his mouth in order to issue a response to this, but another voice spoke up first.

 _"The tournament is a test of your strengths and weaknesses,"_ Chaos stated. Maria turned around in her seat so that she could see him, standing in the center of he room. Well, hovering a couple inches above the ground, but still. _"You will face multiple opponents before the tournament is up, both strangers and allies. I myself will be competing alongside you, although without a partner that is present here, as I am known by enough of you already."_

Maria blinked, then frowned slightly. She thought through what she knew about Chaos, only for the Reploid came across what she thought the Mewtwo had meant. A smirk appeared on her face a moment later. "Tikal's a lucky Pokemon."

"Tikal?" Superman repeated.

The Reploid waved him off. "Someone from Chaos' past. Don't worry about it."

 _"Your opponents have already been chosen for you,"_ Chaos continued, ignoring the interruption. _"The battles will take place at the same time, so you will have to choose what stadium to go to. If you wished to see one particular battle, do not fear; these skirmishes are to be recorded for your entertainment later."_

Maria relaxed slightly. "Good; I don't want to miss any of this." She looked over at Cap, a slightly bemused expression coming over her face when she noted that he had a guarded look.

 _"As I find it likely that you won't allow yourselves to of wait for long, your opponents have already been chosen for you, on account of previous interactions between you and your opponent."_ He looked at Maria directly. _"Which, for some of you, places a lot of names on the table."_

Maria grinned sheepishly as a few people she knew looked in her direction with knowing expressions.

Chaos waved a three-fingered paw, and a giant screen appeared on one of the walls of the dining hall. Photos of each of the members of the different worlds appeared, those who were partnered up located right next to each other.

Scarlet let out a whistle when she saw Maria's photo: she was standing in an attack stance in her Reploid armor, flames covering her arms up to her shoulders as spheres of fire hovered above her gloved palms. The serious and angered look on her face made Maria look like she was going to kill whoever she was facing.

"You look like you're ready to melt somebody," the Mobian stated.

Martian Manhunter flinched. Maria smiled sheepishly in response, then looked over at the photos again.

Directly underneath herself and Cap -- who was holding his shield and looked like he was ready to throw it at the camera -- were Knuckles (the red echidna was standing in front of a giant green emerald with a serious expression on his face) and Wolverine (who was snarling and in an attack stance, claws out).

Maria looked across the room at her and Cap's chosen opponents; the Mobian and the mutant were looking back at her, Knuckles with an eager look on his face, and Wolverine with a slight sneer.

"This isn't going to be easy," Cap noted.

"Both have short tempers, both have some sort of weapon built into their knuckles -- literally, in Knuckles' case," Maria stated. "Knuckles is known for his tracking skills, as is Wolfie, so they're used to hunting down their opponents."

"And you are telling me this why?" The Avenger raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to get a feel for what sort of battle platform we're going to end up on," the Reploid replied, not looking back at her combat partner. "We could end up on some sort of forest stage that could play to their advantage, or a flat platform floating in the middle of nowhere...or some other place entirely."

 _"The stages are randomly set,"_ Chaos continued. _"Where you will end up is up to the computer system. The rules are simple: knock out your opponents before the time is up. You will be allowed access to different weapons which will be produced randomly, including the classic 'Smash Ball'."_

"Smash Ball?"

Maria looked back at Cap. "I'll explain about what that is when we get to the fight. For now, just know it's supposed to give a _lot_ of power for a short time to whoever gets it."

As the Reploid spoke, multiple competitors who had gone through something like this before grinned at each other with eager looks.

 _"The rest, you will have to learn for yourself,"_ Chaos spoke. He motioned again, and the large, ornate doors that had appeared the night before reappeared. _"Go through those doors -- you will be automatically transported to your battle location."_

Sonic grinned over at Flash, and the two zipped through the doorway with the same speed as they had the night before. Quickly, the rest of the groups followed at various speeds, Maria and Cap slipping through in front of Wolverine and Knuckles.

The crowd suddenly dissipated from around Maria and Cap, and the blackness disappeared soon after. A new place came up around him: bright blue sky; a desert.

Maria and Cap were suddenly dropped onto the ground, Maria letting out a grunt at the impact.

"Stupid floating platforms," Maria muttered as she got to her feet. The Reploid started to look around, trying to get a feel for the area. "Looks like some sort of plateau...." She looked over at the other side of the plateau, where two familiar figures were standing. The opposite pair quickly conversed, then glared over at Maria and Cap.

Maria rolled her shoulders back in a warm-up gesture. "Looks like we're going to be battling out in the open." She got into an attacking stance, balling her hands into fists.

"Logan is going to be as dangerous out here as he would anywhere else," Cap noted grimly, adjusting his shield's position on his arm.

"Yeah. I know. Knux will be, too." Maria got into a crouch, looking like she could take off at any moment. "Probably the only reason they're not moving now is because they're assessing us." She glanced up, scanning the sky for a moment. "Or...."

A loud horn suddenly resounded, and Knuckles and Wolverine dashed towards the two as one.

"I've got the angry echidna!" Maria called. She crossed in front of Cap and slammed into the Mobian, causing the two to go tumbling along the top of the plateau.

Knuckles let out a growl and attempted to push the Reploid off him. "You weren't wearing this stuff last night." He let out a grunt, causing Maria to roll off the echidna. Knuckles then leapt for Maria, aiming to hit her with a punch.

Maria rolled to the side, the Mobian's punch leaving an indent in the rock.

"I can't pick stuff up for no reason?" Maria asked with a slight smirk. She jumped to her feet, her gloved hands becoming coated in flames as her core temperature rose. "Come on, Knux. What sort of World Jumper might I be if I didn't get an upgrade once in a while?"

Spheres of fire started to fly into the open, forcing the echidna to dodge out of the way, jumping backwards to a safe distance.

"World Jumper?" Knuckles repeated.

A red and white sphere suddenly fell from out of nowhere and hit Knux in the head, bouncing onto the ground between him and the Reploid. The echidna turned to look at it, but Maria made a mad grab for it.

"Let's see what's in this one," Maria noted, grinning. She promptly threw it at Knuckles, getting him in the schnozz before the ball burst open.

"Goldeen!"

Knuckles was hit with a barrage of bubbles from a gold and white fish with a horn on its head. "H-hey!" He brought his hands up to his face, trying to push back the water attack.

Maria lowered the heat in her left arm, redirecting the energy to her right. This caused her arm to transform, the gloved hand disappearing right before a cannon similar to the one Rock had used two nights ago appeared.

"Here's one more surprise!" Maria aimed the Buster at Knuckles and fired. A sphere of yellow, electric energy careened towards the echidna and hit him as the last few bubbles from Goldeen's attack hit him; the strange fish disappeared.

Knuckles let out a yell as the electricity enveloped him, arching over his soaked fur.

There was a snarl from Wolverine, who looked like he had Cap on the ropes on another section of the plateau, and he lunged for Maria, leaving the Avenger alone.

Maria caught sight of something else near her, and snatched it up and hit Wolverine with it when he got close enough.

The mutant was sent backwards, but he didn't land on his back. Instead, he glared at the large fish Maria now held in both hands.

"Where did you get that?" he demanded.

"This tournament has elements from the Super Smash Brothers competition," Maria replied, grinning. "That's more than enough to give someone a possible upper hand in any situation."

Knuckles rammed into Maria's side, causing the Reploid to loose her grip on the fish. As soon as it hit the ground, it faded out of existence.

"What is this armor made out of?" Knuckles demanded, pounding into the metal. "I'm not leaving any dents!"

"Like I know what Dr. Light used!" Maria barked back. Her entire form became covered in flames, forcing the echidna to retreat before he could become burned.

The Reploid quickly got to her feet, the fire dissipating. Before she could even get her bearings fully, Wolverine barreled into her, sending Maria into the ground. Again.

When Maria hit the ground, Knuckles yelled, "Get that ball!"

The Reploid's eyes widened, and she was instantly on her feet and looking around for whatever it was that Knuckles saw. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw the multicolored sphere flying around above their heads.

"It's mine," Maria snarled, gritting her teeth. She dashed forward, seeing that both Knuckles and Wolverine were in front of her, and quickly formulated a plan that could get her to the Smash Ball.

Unfortunately, the Reploid never got to it.

There was a flash of red, white, and blue as Cap's shield went above their heads and slammed into the Ball, cracking the device and sending it lower.

Knuckles then jumped up and crushed it.

The echidna's fur turned bright pink, and an eager grin appeared on his face. A moment later, a wide shockwave of power rocketed out of him, sending Maria and Cap flying.

Maria let out a yelp as she hit the ground, skidding nearly to the edge of the plateau. The Reploid got to her feet as Cap skidded to a stop nearby.

"That was a Smash Ball," Maria said quickly. "It'll take a while before another one shows up. Until then, we'll have to deal with Hyper Knuckles over there." She motioned to the pink echidna, who started to come towards them. "We're probably not going to have much time to clobber them before they do the same to us...."

The Reploid trailed off when she caught sight of something lying on the ground nearby: some sort of container with a gold base and opaque glass covering. It took her a moment to register what it was before a grin spread across her face.

Maria and Cap moved in opposite directions as Knuckles came flying at them. He turned and started to go for Maria, who rolled to a stop as she grabbed the item she had seen.

"When I let this thing go, who knows what's going to happen," the Reploid muttered. She started dashing around the plateau, doing her best to not only avoid Knuckles, but Wolverine, as well.

"What are you holding, kid?" Wolverine demanded with a growl. "Something else you're going to hit us with?"

Maria gritted her teeth, then let out a yelp when Knuckles slammed down in front of her, eyeing what she was holding.

"You're going to hand that over," Knuckles growled. "Now."

Maria held the device closer, protectively. "No, I'm not. You're definitely not getting this, porcupine."

Knuckles' eyes narrowed, and with a roar he came at Maria, slamming into her and sending the Reploid flying across the plateau for the second time. Cap managed to grab her before she went over the edge.

"Thanks," Maria stated as she got her footing unsteadily. "I knew Hyper Knux was strong, but...." She shook her head. "If I wasn't a Reploid, I wouldn't have been able to survive that."

Knuckles landed on the ground next to Wolverine, still glaring at Maria and Cap. A moment later, there was a bright flash, and the pink echidna returned to his normal coloring.

At the same time, Maria dropped the trophy, muttering, "We need an Assist."

There was a bright flash when the trophy hit the ground, and a moment later, three figures appeared in front of the Reploid and the Avenger.

"Hi!" the three creatures exclaimed together.

"We're the Warner Brothers," two of them said -- one wearing only brown pants, the other with a blue shirt and a red baseball cap.

"And the Warner Sister," the third added. She was wearing a bright pink skirt with a matching bow on top of her head.

Maria grinned upon seeing them. "Hi! I'm Maria -- that's Cap." She jabbed a thumb in the Avenger's direction. "We could use a little help."

"Well, that's what we're here for," the black and white creature with the pants said. "What do you need?"

Maria pointed at Knuckles and Wolverine. "Those two could use a little loosening up." Her grin became wider. "May I suggest the Anvil Song?"

The three creatures looked at Maria with surprised eyes, then looked at each other and grinned.

"No problem!" the girl exclaimed. "Yacko! Wacko! We've got a request!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yacko replied. He turned and dashed for the Mobian and the mutant, the other two following close behind as music started to play. Loudly.

"What did you just do?" Cap asked, giving Maria a confused look.

"It's called an Assist Trophy," Maria replied. She looked up at the sky with the manner of someone who was watching for something. "It let's you call someone in at random to either help or hinder you. I'm not sure which the Animaniacs are, though."

"You know them?"

"I've watched their cartoons. Those kids have done things to other people that could make someone cringe." A smirk appeared on the Reploid's face. "But they still manage to make it funny."

Black specs started to appear in the sky, but none of them were above Cap or Maria. They were soon growing quickly in size.

"What _are_ those three?" Cap asked, looking at the Animaniacs as large anvils started to rain down around Knuckles and Wolverine.

"I don't know, and I don't think I'm ever going to find out," Maria replied calmly. It was odd, being able to speak over the anvils without having to raise her voice.

Right as the three animal-kids finished up their song, an especially large, shiny black anvil that was definitely bigger than an average house slammed down on top of Knuckles and Wolverine.

"Bye! Thanks for all the fun!" Dot gave Maria and Cap a wave before she and her brothers disappeared in a flash of light.

The anvils, however, remained where they were, embedded all over the plateau.

Maria looked around for a moment, then walked towards the anvils cautiously. "Do you think they're done?" she asked.

"You tell me," Cap replied. "You seem to know more about this place than anyone else."

Maria let out a short laugh. "I doubt _that_ ," she stated. "Sonic's been here before, and he probably told Knuckles about it, since he knew was a Smash Ball was."

Just as the Reploid reached the anvil that had seemingly crushed Knuckles and Wolverine, there was another loud horn that resounded through the area. Maria, who hadn't expected it, let out a yelp and jumped back.

 _"Congratulations!"_ A gigantic right hand appeared in the sky above them. _"You have moved past the first round of challenges."_

Cap moved back, getting ready to throw his shield at the hand.

"Hang on," Maria stated, putting an arm in front of him. She looked up at the hand with a cautious look.

_"As the two of you have proven yourselves -- in fact, you have placed yourselves pretty near the top of the leaderboard."_

"Let me guess -- Sonic and Flash're at the top?" Maria asked.

 _"Not quite -- I am afraid that Mario and his brother have taken that spot."_ The hand snapped its fingers, and a doorway appeared in front of them. _"You may return to the dining hall or your own quarters, if you wish. Dinner is within the hour."_ With that, the hand vanished.

Maria and Cap relaxed slightly.

"That...was strange," Cap stated.

"I think he's one of the guys who's running this thing," Maria noted. She looked at the doorway, then started forward. "I could do with a little peace and quiet after that cacophony of anvils." The Reploid paused and looked back at the Avenger. "You coming?"

"In a moment," Cap replied. He looked over at the anvils. "Knuckles and Wolverine shouldn't be left there."

"I don't think you should worry," Maria replied. "This place is pretty much a digital realm where anything that happens here doesn't affect you out there. Knux and Wolfy will probably be sore, but they're definitely not squished." With that, the Reploid turned and walked off the plateau.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The dining hall was bustling with noise as different heroes (and villains) from different worlds conversed in their own small groups, staying clear of anyone they didn't deem to be fully trustworthy. Maria was quick to notice that the collective group of contestants seemed to have become even smaller than it had been before the fight.

 _They cut us in half again,_ the Reploid noted. _Are we going to get some rest time, or are we going to end up going at this so fast that it's going to be time to go home before a week is up?_

Cap walked over and stopped next to Maria, then turned and gave her a slightly curious look. "How do you know about all this?"

"I'm guessing, mostly," Maria replied with a shrug. "There's a few people who have suspected a few things on...an online source. I figured that they were probably right about something, at least." She gained a sheepish expression. "Half the time, I'm surprised at myself that I can manage to keep calm. It kinda scared me a little when I was spending my second time off-world." The Reploid chuckled nervously.

Cap raised an eyebrow slightly. "I doubt that you would be able to keep calm like that unless you had experience."

Maria let out a hollow laugh. "Me? Have experience? I've only gone to three worlds, and I took the back seat for most of the time when it came to saving them. You were right in the middle of the action whenever you were needed!" She let out a sigh and shook her head. "You're lucky, honestly."

Cap looked at the Reploid in surprise. "Lucky? How would you suggest that I am _lucky?_ "

"People actually see you as a hero -- they look up to you." Maria looked at the Avenger. "At home, the only people who I've told are my family and a collection of close friends."

"And you don't tell others because...." Cap trailed off, giving her a curious look.

"I just don't feel like I'm ready for all the attention yet," Maria admitted.

"Considering how calm you are on the battlefield, I'd think that you would be."

"Hey, Cap! Get over here!"

Maria and Cap turned their heads, catching sight of Iron Man with his mask up, revealing the face of Tony Stark. He looked impatient.

"Get over here, Old Man!" the billionaire continued. "There's someone I want you to meet!"

" 'Old Man'?" Maria asked, glancing sideways at Cap with a slight smirk on her face.

"He started that as soon as he learned how old I _really_ am," Cap replied with a sigh of annoyance.

"If it makes you feel any better, you don't look a day over 35."

Maria offered Captain America a smile, then turned and started for another corner of the dining hall, looking for a familiar face that she could talk to about the previous challenge and what could be coming up next.

The Reploid soon found herself walking around, observing the different groups. It looked like her friends from other worlds were beginning to become good friends with the other competitors in the area, as she had suspected would occur between a few of them, at least.

"Hey! Maria!"

Maria turned her head, catching sight of a familiar red Mobian coming over. Like she had suspected, Knuckles was pretty much unscathed from their skirmish earlier.

"Hey, Knux," Maria greeted. "Sorry about dropping that anvil on you earlier."

"I wasn't expecting it, but Sonic warned that something like that might happen," Knuckles replied. "I just didn't expect _that_."

"The Animaniacs can be pretty random if you don't know what you want them to do," Maria agreed, smirking.

"Was that what those three were called?"

"It's what I call them." Maria shrugged. "Their names are Yacko, Wacko, and Dot. They refer to themselves as the Warner Brothers and Warner Sister. Don't know _why,_ though."

"So you met the local goof-offs?"

Maria turned, catching sight of Lea standing nearby with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah -- we pulled an Assist Trophy and dropped anvils on Knuckles and Wolverine," the Reploid explained. "What happened with you?"

"Well, it wasn't anvils so much as getting pummeled into the rock," the Keyblade user replied. "Sora and his buddy caught me off guard, but they won't do it again."

Maria looked around for a moment, then caught sight of the mentioned Keyblade Master, who was conversing with Superman, Flash, and Sonic. "Did you beat him? Or did he beat you?"

"...the second one." Lea sounded annoyed. "Him and that lantern guy made a better team than me and one of those little talking animals."

"Mobians," Maria corrected. She blinked when Lea's other words registered. "Did you just say 'Lantern'? As in, _Green_ Lantern?"

Lea blinked, then frowned when he saw that Maria's eyes seemed to have widened a little. "Yeah. Why?"

Maria started to look around with a little more of a rushed expression. "Green Lanterns are pretty much like the Keyblade masters of the DC Kingdom -- they travel from world to world and help the people who live on them. Besides Bats and Supes, GLs have to be my more favorite super hero in that area of the Multiverse."

Knuckles frowned. "What kind of people are these 'GLs'?"

"The Green Lanterns are a mix of races from across the universe," Maria explained. "At least one a planet, but some have more than one. Earth's a pretty good example of that -- that planet's got three or four Lanterns."

"You certainly know your facts."

Maria turned around, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of the figure that was standing there: a young man with a mop of brown hair, wearing a bright green costume with a lantern symbol on his chest.

"No way...." A grin appeared on Maria's face. "You're Hal Jordan!"

The GL gave a nod. "And you're that Maria kid John mentioned. The one who could throw fireballs."

Maria chuckled lightly, looking embarrassed. "Yeah." She gave a shrug. "I've been a fan of you guys for a long time now -- GLs and the Justice League. You guys were the first heroes I was introduced to."

"So I've been told." Hal raised an eyebrow, an act which made his entire eyemask move in a slightly upward direction. "Batman seems to think you don't belong here."

"Is it because I'm young, or the fact that I know who pretty much everyone is?"

Lea and Knuckles looked at Maria in surprise.

"You know everybody?" Lea frowned. "How's that possible?"

The Reploid turned to look at the Keyblade user. "It's like I told you when we explored Atlantis -- I knew things because of movies, comic books, and video games. It's the same instance here. Only, I know a lot about the _people_ and not so much about where we are."

"I think that's what's got Batman so nervous about you," Hal remarked. "Kid, if one of the villains in the area got their hands on you, they could squeeze everything you know about us out."

"Or, I could just torch their faces and teach them to steer clear of me, or else they'll get White Flare'd," Maria replied boldly, grinning. A moment later, something at the back of her head warned her that there may be some truth to the GL's statement, as there was one villain in particular who was in the area....

"White Flare?"

Hal's question jolted Maria out of her thoughts. "Yeah. It's a super-powerful attack that takes a lot out to me, but deals severe damage to the opponent. I haven't made it a point to use it often, though."

"I've seen her use it," Lea volunteered. "Took out a whole horde of Heartless in a manner of seconds."

Hal blinked. "I take it that's a lot."

"You bet it is!"

Maria chuckled and shook her head. "I'm sure that there are some of us around here who have seen bigger groups of minions than what we saw on that day."

Lea gave her a look, blinking. "Are you serious?"

"Remember Spacial Rift? Imagine one of those rooms stuffed with giant creatures that could easily squish you if they stepped on you -- and you're the size of a six-tailed fox." Seeing the look that was one Lea's face, Maria gave a nod. "Exactly."

"You've been in a situation like that," Hal noted.

"More times than I care to count," the Reploid confirmed. She gave a shrug. "I've lived without too many scratches, and I can do it again if I have to. Honestly, I consider myself lucky that Cap and I didn't run into any Monster Houses as we were working our way through." She gave Hal a curious look. "What Pokemon did you end up as, anyway?"

"That little yellow rat said I was something called a Braviary, whatever that means."

"Isn't that some sort of eagle?" Knuckles asked, frowning.

Maria gave a nod. "Basically, they're kings of the skies -- they fear nothing." She gave Hal a smirk. "A lot like how you don't seem to fear anything and like to fly. That form fits you well."

Hal looked surprised, then smirked. He looked like he was about to say something else, but someone else got to it, first.

"Hey, Maria!"

The Reploid turned her head, catching sight of Rock standing not too far away with Dr. Light, two other young figures (one in armor and the other in a dress) and Keith (the midnight blue-colored hedgehog Mobian).

"Dr. Light's got a few upgrades for you!" Rock called out, grinning.

Maria's eyes widened. Knuckles, Lea's, and Hal's eyes widened, as well.

"Upgrades?" Knuckles repeated. He turned and gave Maria a look. "This is about what Tails and Kintobor did, isn't it?"

Maria's eyes widened slightly. "How did you figure that out?" She frowned slightly. "Did Sonic tell you?"

"He might have," the echidna replied cooly.

Hal and Lea looked between Knuckles and Maria with slightly curious looks. The Reploid took note.

Letting out a sigh, Maria stated quickly, "Let's just say I'm not exactly human anymore." With that, she turned and walked off in the direction of Dr. Light and the others.

"What do you have in mind?" Maria asked as she reached the group.

"A few weapon upgrades," the roboticist replied. He motioned for Maria to follow him, and the group fell into step behind Dr. Light.

Keith looked at Maria curiously. "Blues mentioned that you had been turned into something else, like what happened to me."

Maria looked over at the Pokemon Ranger-turned-Mobian and, remembering what had happened to him, gave a nod. "There are other things that happened that could be connected to you," she stated softly.

Keith frowned. "What do you mean by _that_?"

The Reploid leaned over slightly, and whispered in the hedgehog's ear, "Two words. Red. Chain."

Keith's eyes widened, and he looked at Maria in surprise. "You can't be serious. You ran into a version of _that_ in his world?" He motioned to the figure beside him -- a young man dressed in red and gray armor with a white ponytail hanging out the back, a visor over the upper half of his face.

"In a way, yeah," Maria replied. "Tails and the Doc saved my skin, and for that I'm grateful."

"It was no problem for either of us," Dr. Light replied.

The group left the dining hall by way of the warp panel, which seemed to know where Dr. Light was heading and brought the group directly into a room with mechanical equipment that clearly looked like something from the future.

Dr. Light motioned to a glass cylinder that was standing upright. "Step in there, and I'll start the download." He moved to stand in front of a computer system and started to activate programs. Binary code started to scroll across the screen.

Maria blinked, looking at the cylinder for a moment, then around at the rest of huge room. Something about the room itself set her on edge, and when Dr. Light had mentioned a download, the Reploid had quickly realized why.

Mentally, she berated herself for thinking that way about a place that was being accessed by a trusted man right at that moment. Steeling herself, the Maria stepped into the open cylinder, which closed behind her.

Machinery started to power up as Maria felt her form rise up -- the chamber was capable of creating some sort of odd vacuum. A moment later, the Reploid reflexively closed her eyes as she felt something enter at the back of her neck.

_Upgrade software found. Download? Y/N_

_Y. I'm going to need this._

Programming code started to flicker through the blackness of Maria's vision. While she hadn't spent much time with computers, the information she had obtained a few years ago allowed her to understand at least parts of what she was being sent. One section in particular really caught her eye.

_Short-term flight capabilities? Is Doc going to attach a jet pack to my back?_

The data continued to stream in, and Maria saw the designs Light had in mind. It wasn't long before a smirk made its way onto her face.

The download complete, Maria opened her eyes as the vacuum died, allowing the Reploid to come into contact with the ground again. The wide-eyed look she was getting from Keith told her everything she needed to know about what he thought of her situation.

A smirk made its way onto her face as the cylinder slid open, allowing for Maria to step out. "What?"

"I-I just didn't...." Keith looked over at Dr. Light. "How often does she have to do that?"

"Only when I have something that she might find useful," the roboticist replied calmly.

"And I think I'll find this data packet extremely useful," Maria replied, her smirk widening into a grin. "Flight capabilities would come in handy."

" _Flight?"_ Keith's eyes widened further.

"It's something that Dad wanted to test out for future future models," Rock explained. "Since Maria's the most advanced, well...."

"She was the most obvious choice," Roll added.

"Of course, I still have to add the mechanical capabilities so that you can use your flight," Dr. Light continued, he moved over to a nearby table where tools had already been set out, as well as parts that clearly looked like they might have been a part of Maria's armor. "If you would, Maria."

"No problem." Maria gave a chuckle and slipped onto the table, remaining upright, but leaving the bottom of her metal feet bared in Dr. Light's direction so that he could work on them.

"And this is where we take our leave," Blues stated pointedly, giving Keith a look. "Come on. We have to get ready if we are going to stand anything against some of these other groups." He grabbed one of Keith's arms and started to drag him towards the warp panel; it didn't take much to get the Mobian to move, however.

Dr. Light looked over at Rock and Roll. "Mind giving me some assistance?"

"Not at all!" the two chorused in reply.

**Time Break**

Maria walked off the warp panel and back into the dining hall, a little more bounce in her step than what had been there before.

 _Next time I get into a fight, I'm going to use that flight tech to my advantage._ A grin flickered over her face.

Once again, the tables had reappeared in different areas of the hall, and the contestants were starting to move towards them in order to sit down and start eating. Maria caught sight of Cap sitting down near a big, hulking green monster of a man and knew who she was going to get to meet tonight.

Maria dashed over to that particular table and slipped into an open seat next to Cap.

"So, _you're_ Cap's partner," a man in black with a quiver on his back noted. "Didn't think you'd be so young."

"I've seen a lot more than most people my age," Maria responded with a smirk. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"What has little girl seen that let her come here?" the green man questioned.

"Yeah -- what makes you so special?" A man who appeared to be just as muscular and cracked like stone glared at Maria from the other side of the Hulk.

"You remember how big Palkia was?" Maria asked in reply. When the others at the table nodded, she continued, "I was in the form of a fox Pokemon when I first met him -- and I beat him up while in that form. That's saying something, too, because Palkia could have just simply stepped on me in order to finish me off. And don't get me started on the other monsters I took down." She smirked at Hulk. "Most of them were bigger than you."

Hulk grunted. "Nothing bigger than Hulk."

"What about the frost giants?" Maria raised an eyebrow as a smirk creeped across her face.

Hulk let out a low growl.

"Giants?" Thing looked curious.

Hulk gave Maria a glare, then moved his attention to Thing and back. "They not human."

"Neither are Pokemon or creatures made completely of darkness. Or robots." Maria tapped her armor, then grabbed a Sitrus Berry and took a bite out of it.

Stark looked suddenly interested in Maria. "Wouldn't someone with systems like yours have a little problem with digesting food?"

Maria paused, her eyes going over to the man in the armor before scanning the table. She blinked before her form sagged slightly, and she let out a sigh.

Removing the Sitrus Berry from its position in front of her mouth, she asked, "You guys heard Rock call about about the upgrades, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Hawkeye replied, smirking.

"So, your systems," Stark piped up. "Were they built to handle food like that?"

"Yeah," Maria replied coolly. "Doc made it so that I can act like I'm a regular human when I want to." She took another bite of the Berry, then quickly finished it off. "It just helps boost my energy a little bit so that I can go a couple rounds without worrying about my core running out of energy."

"Core?" The girl with the yellow and black dress and antennae on her head gave Maria a curious look.

"What kind of power source do you think I'd have, Wasp? A car battery?" Maria let out a short laugh. "Nah. I've got something better, and you probably haven't heard of it."

Batman, who was sitting near Stark and was observing Maria, inclined his head slightly. "It's not from either of our worlds."

"That only narrows it down by two," Maria replied with a smirk. "But you're right about that."

"It has to be able to replenish its energy," Stark noted, frowning slightly. "It doesn't look like there's any sort of opening for replacements."

"Correct again," Maria confirmed with a slight nod. She grabbed another Sitrus Berry and started to eat it.

"Wanna bet it's some sort of crystal?" Thing piped up. Everyone looked over at him, and the hulking figure shrugged. "What? Richard and Susan talk about that kind of stuff all the time."

Hulk snorted. "Crystal break easy. No good."

"Some gems are tougher than you think," Maria replied with a wink and a smirk. She swallowed the second Sitrus Berry and leaned back in her chair, watching with amusement as those around her tried to figure out what she was made of.

Batman let out a low growl. "Something alien."

"In your opinion. Sometimes, it could be right under your feet and you'd never notice." Maria crossed her arms over her chest and watched the Dark Knight with a curious look.

"Are you saying you found something under your planet?"

"I didn't say it was _my_ world," Maria responded with a cheeky grin. "If you can figure out where I've _been,_ maybe you'll figure it out." She grabbed an Oran Berry and popped it into her mouth, grinning.

Hulk eyed Maria with a curious expression. "Bot Girl get beat?"

Maria gave the Avenger a disbelieving frown. "No, 'Bot Girl' did _not_ get beat. Wolverine got beat -- with an anvil." A grin appeared on her face.

"An _anvil?_ " Hawkeye raised an eyebrow.

Cap let out a groan. "Don't ask."

"Three words: Kid cartoon characters," Maria stated calmly. Inwardly, she was rolling in laughter at the memory.

"Oh, _that_ kind of anvil."

Wasp let out a giggle. "Wolverine probably wasn't expecting that."

"Oh, he didn't -- and neither did Knuckles." Maria grinned. "That made up for the little porcupine going Hyper on me and Cap!" She let out a short laugh.

"You mean that ball-thing that floated around?" Thing frowned.

"Eh..." Maria made a "so-so" motion with one hand. "Yes and no. The ball's called a Smash Ball. If you break it, you get a major energy boost and get to use an attack -- called a Final Smash -- that's unique to you. Knuckles turns bright pink and can fly around and throw energy blasts -- his Hyper form."

There was a snort of amusement from Hulk.

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I first saw it." Maria grinned. "I don't know what breaking a Smash Ball's going to do for you guys, but it's going to pack a lot of punch -- literally."

Hulk grinned and cracked his knuckles loudly. "I _like_ Smash Ball."

"I'm getting the feeling that I like it, too," Thing agreed, grinning. "Next time, we get the ball before the other team does."

"Yeah."

Stark looked slightly worried at the prospect of getting in the way of either of the two figures when they had the Smash Ball.

Maria shrugged. "Smash Balls appear at random. Sometimes they'll be there, sometimes they won't be. It might depend on how long the fight lasts and what both sides are doing. If you're already pummeling the competition, I doubt you'll need one."

Hulk sent the Reploid a glare and crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.

"I wouldn't be so down about it, big guy," Stark stated. "You're more than strong enough already."

"Yeah, yeah," Hulk grumbled.

"There's no one else in the world with your kind of advantage, friend," Maria pointed out. "Do you know how many people on my world idolize you for what you can do? For who you are?" She looked around the rest of the table. "It's the same for everyone else -- you guys are major, but fictional, heroes where I come from. Movies, comic books, TV shows, and video games -- you name it." She looked specifically at Batman. "You're probably the most popular of the Justice League right now, too."

The Dark Knight's mask didn't move an inch, other than the minute movement as his eyes narrowed.

"Seriously? Tall, dark, and gruesome here?" Stark jabbed a thumb in Batman's direction. "How can you guys find _him_ popular?"

"He was one of the first comic book characters that ever came into existence. The comic book company, Detective Comics, or DC, pretty much built their universe off of him and Superman. They were the _original_ heroes. When Marvel jumped on the bandwagon, Hulk was among the first they came up with. It took a while for everything else to fall into place." Maria smirked. "Funny thing is, my dad introduced me to Batman first in the form of a 90's cartoon. And, last I checked, they made a trilogy of live-action movies that really skyrocketed his popularity."

"I don't suppose you can say the same about the rest of us," Thing muttered.

"Two live-action movies, a comic book, and a cartoon for the Fantastic Four," Maria stated, pointing at Hulk's combat partner. "Iron Man's had at least four movies -- both live-action and animated -- as well as comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The Avengers as a whole have one movie -- I've heard they're working on a sequel -- and Thor's in two of his own, Hulk's got three, I think, Cap's got one and they're working on his second...."

Maria kept going for a couple other minutes, motioning to each hero present in turn, then stopped by saying, "Batman's got three or more cartoons, a multitude of movies, and his own comic book and video game series."

The group of heroes sitting around the table looked at the Reploid in shock.

"And that's just for the people at this table," Maria added. "There's a lot more where that came from."

"Kid, you're nuts," Thing declared.

"She isn't nuts, just...over-informed," Pika spoke up. He had been sitting on Thor's shoulder during the duration of the conversation, simply observing most of what had been going on. "Just like when the Mobians moved to my home world's past and she started to look into the ruins."

"During the time I had _lost my memory,"_ Maria reminded him. "Otherwise, if I had remembered before then, I would've gone straight to Sinnoh to ask Dialga and Palkia what was going on."

"Dialga?" Cap repeated, frowning.

"A Legendary that can control time." Maria waved his question off. "He doesn't seem to like to time travel as much as Celebi does, though."

"Who?"

"Do you really want to open up that well of information?" Pika piped up. "Because she could go on for hours about the different Pokemon we consider to be legends."

Maria blushed profoundly and rubbed the back of her head. Letting out a nervous chuckle, she remarked, "I guess that I could. Pokemon have always been a major part of my life outside of jumping from world to world." A nervous smile made its way onto her face.

"A video gamer?" Stark frowned slightly.

"A little." Maria shrugged. "My brothers are more into stuff like that than I am. But catch me anywhere with a DS and a copy of a Pokemon game...." She grinned.

"I suppose you're still the same way about your books," Pika noted.

The Reploid gave a nod and a laugh. "Yup!"

The rest of that dinner, the group Maria and Cap were a part of started to loosen up -- but only somewhat. Batman said little to nothing, only interjecting when he wanted to ask (more like demand) to know something about Maria. The Reploid was quick to answer most of them (how many people made up her family; who knew she traveled from one world to another). And then there was one statement that he brought up.

"You say you have a human family, yet you're a robot."

"Reploid," Maria automatically corrected. "It's short for Replicating Android, since I can replicate being human mentally and emotionally."

Batman's eyes narrowed slightly; he didn't look like he cared much for being interrupted. "What happened?"

The question was a simple one, but Batman's tone clearly stated that he wanted to know as much as he could about Maria -- and see if she had a weakness.

At his statement; Maria froze slightly, blinking as memories slipped in and out -- some of them she didn't exactly want to remember.

"I had an accident, and Dr. Light saved my life by transferring me in to this form," Maria stated as calmly as she could. Mentally, she flinched when it came out colder than she had wanted. "The accident involved a lot of shrapnel."

The Reploid's eyes narrowed slightly as the calm look she had been giving Batman turned into a glare. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't go any further."

Batman returned the glare for a moment, then with a stiff-sounding "Fine," he moved his attention elsewhere.

 _I've probably just given him an opening,_ Maria realized grimly.

**Time Break**

Maria entered her room and collapsed onto her bed with a frustrated groan.

"Did Bats really have to ask _that?"_ she growled into the covers. The Reploid flipped over at glared up at the ceiling, her mind going over the one question Batman had asked that had caused her to close herself off.

* _Of course he did*_ a familiar voice replied. This was not Maria's mind responding to her own question. _*You're a suspicious figure -- Batman's trying to figure out whether you're a threat or not*_

"I can guess that, Inferno, but it doesn't exactly help that now I know what it's like to be at the other end of his paranoia."

Maria's blue eyes trailed around the room, and then she caught sight of her backpack, sitting in a corner of the room. Slowly, she slid off the bed and walked over and grabbed it, then went back to her bed.

A few minutes later, she was scrolling through the entries in her PokeDex, occasionally pausing over one or another, as if considering something before continuing on to the next one.

At one point, her fingers paused over the touch screen, and then the Reploid shook her head and put the device to one side. Her eyes trailed over to a book with a red cover and gold-lettered title sitting on the nightstand, and she picked it up in a swift movement.

"It's been _way_ too long since I last read this," Maria muttered. She opened the book to the first section and started to read. _In the beginning...._


	6. Chapter 6

When Maria arrived in the dining hall for breakfast the next morning, she was accompanied by a small, furry creature that flew around her with a delighted grin on his face.

Chaos approached the two, a frown appearing on his face. _"Victini, you had better come only to spectate and not fight."_

The Fire/Psychic-Type looked over at the Mewtwo and chuckled. _"Don't worry, Chaos. Maria just said she wanted some familiar company for a day, that's all. Everyone's told me exactly why I'm not participating."_

"I figured he would want a change of pace for a day," Maria explained. She had a slightly haunted look in her eye, but attempted to hide it with a smile. "I certainly would, if I just waited in the basement of some old house for a challenger."

Chaos eyed the two for a moment, then gave a slight nod. _"Very well. Victini may stay."_

 _If only because you seem to need it,_ the Pokemon added. Maria figured it was on a more private channel because Victini didn't respond to the statement, as Chaos was looking directly at the Reploid.

When Chaos had left to circle the tables, Maria started to look around for where Cap may or may not have been sitting -- for some reason, the Avenger kept getting up earlier than the Reploid, so she used him to try and hunt down where they were going to be sitting for the morning. Soon, she spotted him sitting near Superman and Scarlet, as well as a pair of familiar boys.

"Looks like we're sitting with the Trainers today," Maria noted with a thoughtful expression.

 _"Uh oh."_ Victini looked nervous.

"Don't worry." Maria grinned at her friend. "Today's a day off from any sort of competition -- they won't be fighting unless you ask to spar."

The two made their way over to the table. As soon as Maria sat down Victini let out a gasp and zoomed for a picnic basket that was sitting open on the table.

 _"Macaroons!"_ The little Legendary instantly disappeared inside, to Maria's amusement.

"Another Pokemon?" Cap asked, giving Maria a curious look.

Maria gave a nod. "His name's Victini, and he's a good friend of mine. I just asked him to come by for the day."

"He better not be on your team right now," Black spoke up with a slightly warning tone. "You know they won't let you fight with him."

"Why not?" Superman looked over at the shaking basket.

"Victini is known as the Victory Pokemon," Maria replied with a slightly sheepish expression. "Any fight he gets into, unless he throws the match, he wins."

There was the sound of a childish giggle from inside the basket, and Victini poked his head out the top, grinning.

 _"Any fight I participate in, I help the side I'm fighting for,"_ the little Pokemon stated. _"Whoever I help, they win. Like when we took down Cyrus and the rest of his goonies!"_ He dove back into the picnic basket without another word.

"That little thing wins no matter what?" Cap asked, frowning. "How is that possible?"

"I never really invested much of my time in studying Pokemon biology," Maria replied with a shrug. "It's just a power they have that comes from within -- or something like that."

The basket stopped shaking, and Victini jumped out of it with a whistle that sounded like some sort of delighted laugh. He landed on the table and leaned back against the basket in some sort of half sitting, half lying position, while he patted his stomach with a content look on his face.

Maria did her best to hold back the giggle that tried to force its way out when she saw the Fire/Psychic-Type's adorable position. Brendan and Black simply rolled their eyes.

"Don't mind him," Black stated. "Victini has liked macaroons ever since Cilan introduced him to them." He took a bite of the pancake he had in front of him, then turned to look at Maria. "It's true, then -- what everyone else has said about you."

Maria blinked, the statement registering with the events that had taken place the night before. The haunted look, which had disappeared when she had been explaining about Victini, returned rather quickly. The Reploid gave a quick nod.

"Yeah. I'm...not exactly human anymore."

"Not exactly?" Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Maria, you're like one of those robots Sonic always talks about Kintobor making."

"Except that this form wasn't made _by_ him and it was the only way for my life to be saved," Maria hissed back. "There's a thin line there, but still!"

"Maria."

Cap's voice carried an underlying tone that caused Maria's circuits to freeze.

The Avenger leaned over and muttered in her ear, "I know what Batman said may be getting to you, but that doesn't mean that you can snap at whomever asks."

Maria looked over at Captain America with a surprised expression, blinking as she took in what he had said.

"I know," the Reploid responded irritably. "But it's not _him_ so much as the _other_ _guy_."

The other members of the table exchanged glances, confusion clear on their faces.

"You would understand if you ended up in a situation akin to mine," Maria growled in undertones.

"Keith mentioned you ran into something like the Red Chain."

The Reploid froze again, then turned her head, catching sight of Scarlet giving her a concerned look.

"Red Chain?" Superman looked between Scarlet and Maria in confusion, a frown on his face as he tried to comprehend what the two had started speaking of.

Across the table, Keith's ears flattened against his head, and his eyes narrowed.

Maria felt her form start to shudder, but she forced it to stop. Slowly, cautiously, she explained, "The Red Chain is a device that was used by a -- now destroyed -- organization called Team Galactic. Their leader attempted to use it in order to control Dialga and Palkia in order to force them to create a new world that he would rule. It's basically a mind control device meant to be used on Pokemon _only._ "

 _"That didn't stop that spiky-haired idiot from using it on Ash!"_ Victini declared loudly. He jumped to his feet, flames spurting off the tips of his ears as an angry expression came on his face. _"And it doesn't help that he and his scientist slipped out of there after Khrista and Maria went home with everybody else!"_

Maria turned to look sharply at the little Legendary. " _What?!_ Charon and Cyrus _escaped?_ " The alarm on her face turned into anger. "How?"

"They had some sort of teleportation device on him, as far as Darkrai could tell," Brendan explained quickly. "We have no idea where he went."

Maria's eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you have the device?"

"It disintegrated not too long after we found it. Why?"

Maria let out a growl and slammed her fist onto the table, causing a resounding echo throughout the dining hall. "Great! If we still had it, I might have been able to track the signature it left behind!" The Reploid scowled. "Now we've got a perfectionist who hates everything that makes anybody _sentient_ on the loose, _and_ a Mobian turned human, and no way to find them!"

_"I wouldn't say that just yet, Maria."_

Maria turned in her chair, the scowl on her face turning into a look of surprise upon seeing Chaos floating a few feet behind her.

Blinking away her surprise, she asked, "What do you mean?"

 _"Aurora and I were present when the device was discovered. She has the remains of the device, and will let you have a look at them when the tournament is finished."_ Chaos looked her over for a moment. _"I believe you may have the need to blow off some steam."_

"I'm fine, Chaos." Maria sent him a glower, then turned around and grabbed a slice of toast and started to gnaw on it.

A moment later, she let out a yelp of surprise and dropped the toast as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

 _"You are_ not _fine,"_ Chaos corrected, glaring at her as he used Telekinesis to keep the Reploid airborne. _"You are like Knuckles when Sonic or someone else refers to him as a porcupine. You_ need _to calm down."_

Maria glared at the Pokemon, but said nothing. The Reploid knew that it was futile to even attempt to fight against the Psychic attack, as she had nothing to push or use against Chaos in order to get him to release her. She doubted that even a fireball would be able to hit him.

 _"I suggest that you take a walk,"_ Chaos continued. He released Maria, allowing the Reploid to drop to the ground, keeping her balance. _"Fresh air might do you some good -- better than what you seem to have gained from interactions here."_ He made a waving motion, and a pair of large, ornate doors appeared, creaking open in order to let a stream of morning sunlight in.

A moment later, Maria was standing on the other side of the doors, listening to them creaking shut behind her.

The Reploid growled a string of made-up curses under her breath that sounded like complete nonsense words to anyone who may have been listening. She then stomped down the hill that she and Cap had walked on a few days earlier, and went into the town and collection of shops below.

As it was morning, most of the shops were closed and the lights were out. Maria made the mental note that it seemed the shopkeepers woke up later than the contestants.

As the Reploid passed one of the shops, the lights suddenly came on, and a figure stepped out of the building -- a young man who looked to be in his early thirties, carrying a large sign and a toolbox. Stopping in front of his shop -- which didn't seem to have any markings as to what kind it was -- the man put his equipment down and looked up at the front of his store.

Maria paused mid-stomp, taking note of the paint-stained jeans and bright yellow shirt that the young, brown-haired man was wearing. Something about the combination of the yellow and the paint set something off at the back of her mind, but Maria ignored it.

Like it or not, though, it looked like he needed help.

"You look like you need a hand," Maria spoke up as she approached, looking the man over and the equipment he had at his feet.

The man looked over at her with bright green eyes that clearly showed he was startled by her sudden appearance. He quickly recovered, however, and gave a slight smile.

"I was just considering waking up one of my neighbors and asking them that," the man stated. He looked over Maria's armor for a moment. "You're one of those contestants, aren't you? For that tournament thing."

Maria gave half a shrug. "Yeah, I am." She still felt a little annoyed about what had occurred inside the dining hall, but kept it down as best she could. "There isn't anything going on right now, though."

The man gave a nod. "I see." He motioned to the large board. "I managed to finish making a sign for my shop the night before, but I've only got one ladder, and definitely not enough strength to keep it up in order to get the nails in place. If you want to help, do you think you could go wake up one of my neighbors and ask to borrow a ladder?"

Maria frowned slightly, looking down at the sign (which was most likely facing down), then up at the front of the store.

"You know, I think I might have a better idea."

**Time Break**

Maria hovered at one end of the sign, holding it upright as the shopkeeper (whose name was Ben) hammered nails into the sign at the other end. He had been delighted to find out that he didn't need to rely on his neighbors, and Maria had found the experience equally helpful -- it gave her some time to practice using the flight capabilities Dr. Light had added.

"I didn't think that one of you guys would actually come out today at all," Ben noted, looking over at Maria with a slightly curious expression. He climbed down his ladder, then moved it over so that he could climb back up and start working on the next section of the sign, which read in bright yellow and blue, "The Comic Haunt."

"I mean, most of you guys would probably be hiding out in your rooms instead of wandering around," Ben continued.

"I kinda...had to let off some steam," Maria admitted sheepishly. "They pretty much kicked me out so that I could cool down."

"Oh? One of those short-tempered types, huh?" Ben finished climbing up the ladder and started using his nail gun again.

"Only when something really gets on my nerves. See, there's...these villains who tried to something to one world I happen to be highly fond of. Unfortunately, they escaped from their version of jail to who knows where." Maria's eyes narrowed into slits, and she tightened her grip on the wooden sign slightly. After a moment, she forced herself to relax, as there was a chance that the wood could splinter and snap under her grip.

"I got mad because the one device I could have used to track where they went was apparently destroyed," Maria finally stated.

"You could do that?"

Maria blinked for a moment, then looked over at Ben, who was looking at her with a curious expression.

"Well, there's a lot of things that I could probably do now that I couldn't before," Maria admitted. "I don't know how far my new abilities go. But, since I can travel from one world to another without a problem, it would make sense that I could track the signal that device set off and find out where Cyrus went."

The Reploid let out a low growl as she recalled what she had seen in that world before everything had reverted to normal.

"So you're some sort of on-the-rise hero?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of a sort."

"You two look you might need a little help."

Maria turned her head upon hearing the new voice, but kept her hands in place in order to make sure the sign didn't move from its present position.

The figure who had spoken stood pretty much in the center of the path that cut through the row of shops like a road. He had a ladder under one arm, a picnic basket in one hand, and a toolbox in the other. The man himself stood in a tall, confident stance, and was wearing sweats and a long-sleeved gray shirt.

It wasn't what he was wearing, but what the man's face looked like that caused Maria's circuits to freeze.

"Mr. Wayne," Maria greeted somewhat stiffly. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that there was a little project going on, and I thought you could use a little help," the man replied in somewhat cheerful tones and what was probably supposed to be a disarming smile.

"The more the merrier!" Ben replied, laughing. He motioned for Bruce Wayne to come over. "Pull up a ladder and start up your nail gun!"

The billionaire playboy put down the basket and toolbox, then unfolded the ladder and planted it between Ben and Maria, who watched as Wayne grabbed the nail gun and climbed up and started to work at getting the sign to remain in place.

"Comic Haunt, huh?" Wayne looked over the sign for a moment, observing the color choices.

Ben gave a nod. "Comic book collecting has always been a hobby of mine, and I decided to open a store because of that. I have access to all sorts of comic books, so if anyone wants to start a collection, I can give them a good start."

"What kind of a start?" Maria asked. She looked around Wayne in order to get a better look at Ben. "Like...originals?"

Ben shook his head. "I had a hard time as it was getting a grip on those. I can find rarer issues than other comic book stores can, though."

"So...say, the _Blackest Night_ issues from DC? When the Black Lanterns popped up?" Maria's eyes sparked with interest.

"Black Lanterns?" Wayne looked at her sharply, a frown coming over his face. For a moment, Maria could see his more Batman-side.

"Basically, zombies revived by the use of rings that symbolize death," the Reploid stated in passing, waving a hand. "It happened a few years back in another dimension, and I've been hoping to get my hands on it ever since."

"I think I could get you that," Ben replied with a thoughtful expression. "It'll probably take a few days, though, depending on whether I already have it inside or not."

"It's fine," Maria replied, grinning. "I'm going to be around here for a while, anyway, what with the tournament and all."

"Of course." Ben gave a nod and a smile.

The trio soon finished off putting up the sign, allowing Maria to land after being up in the air for a couple hours already. Her knees bent slightly as she hit the ground.

Maria blinked as a warning symbol flashed in the corner of her vision. "Uh oh. Looks like I burned through a lot of energy in order to stay up in the air for that long."

There was a flash of bright red, and Maria reacted quickly by reaching out and grabbing the object that had been thrown at her. To the Reploid's surprise, it was an apple.

"Come on," Wayne said as he picked up what he had brought with him. "I saw some picnic tables over this way."

Maria watched as Wayne walked down the path -- back in the direction of where the dining hall was located. After a moment, the Reploid started to follow at a slight jog.

Bruce Wayne was waiting for her by a small collection of about five picnic tables located not too far away from the collection of buildings. Now that Maria wasn't concentrating on assisting Ben, she noticed that the sun was higher in the sky than it had been when she had been kicked out.

"You know, you didn't have to help," Maria stated as she approached. "Ben and I could have taken care of it."

"But not as quickly as when I was there," Wayne pointed out. He set down a plastic plate with a small pile of sandwiches on the picnic table, then went back to digging around in the basket.

"True." Maria dropped onto the bench and took a bite of the apple. "But they only kicked me out, not you, _Bats._ "

When Maria uttered Batman's nickname, Bruce Wayne froze and looked over at her with a serious expression that might had been seen if Batman ever went without his mask.

"So, you do know." There was an underlying tone in Wayne's voice that made him sound more like Batman and less like Bruce Wayne.

"As I said before, with my world, it's a given to know who our favorite heroes are under the mask." Maria took another bite of the red fruit she was holding, then swallowed. "Is there anything else you want to know about me?" Her tone turned bitter as she spoke.

Wayne looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "There are some things you wouldn't be able to understand."

"You try being in _my_ shoes for one day in my past," Maria replied with a low growl. "The one day that has decided to haunt me for the rest of my life. No, my parents weren't killed, as you already know."

"Well, I won't be able to know unless you tell me."

Maria blinked, then glared at Wayne as she continued to eat her apple. The man looked back at her for a moment, then went to eating one of the sandwiches that he had set out.

They remained in this relatively silent state as Maria crunched on her apple and considered what Wayne was suggesting. The Reploid would end up opening herself fully to the Dark Knight, which could mean that he could take this as a weakness and possibly use it against her.

However, seeing as he had gone through something that had possibly the same sort of implications....

"All right, fine," Maria replied, dropping the apple's core on the table with a loud thud. "I'll tell you what happened."

Wayne looked over at her with a guarded look.

"It happened some time after Dr. Light had saved my life by transferring me into this form, so that the shrapnel from an evil robot's blast wouldn't kill me. I knew the implications of his war, and I was more than eager to help him out in order to defeat the man who was attempting to take over.

"ShadowMan -- one of the robots of that world -- helped Rock and I get inside Wily's fortress in order to try and rescue one of our allies -- Blues, or ProtoMan. When we reached a chamber in the building, I remember getting dropped down a pit trap and knocked out. When I came to, I was in Wily's lab. That's when it happened."

Maria clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to remember the event, despite how much she disliked it. How much she feared it happening again.

"Wily...he had created a program that could reprogram a robot in order to make them serve him. I learned later that it was referred to as the Master Control Program, or MCP. He forced me to download the whole thing...." The Reploid shuddered. "To not only _know_ you're entire self is being rewritten, but to _feel_ it, as well...!" She looked at Wayne. "It is _not_ a feeling I wish to come across again in my lifetime."

Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I consider myself lucky that Tails and Kintobor came to my rescue and managed to reverse what Wily had done. He went insane when Dr. Light's creations stormed the fortress." Maria's voice clearly carried her fear at the memory and the relief of the end of the nightmare. "But...I saw Wily here a few days ago -- _and he was sane."_ An uncontrolled shudder passed through the Reploid. "I'm worried that he'll be able to bring back what he did.

"That's the reason why I snapped at you last night...and part of the reason why I yelled this morning."

Wayne looked at Maria with a neutral expression, seeming to observe the look on the Reploid's face.

"There's a reason I would prefer that part of my past remain unasked about," Maria stated as she slowly regained her composure. "Do you understand why?"

Wayne inclined his head. "Yes. But you should still tell him."

The statement nearly threw Maria for a loop. "Tell --? Oh, you mean Cap." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I already did -- the first night we were officially partnered up."

"Not everything, from the sound of it."

Maria blinked in confusion, then her eyes narrowed again. "So? What I didn't tell him won't do anything either for or against us."

"It could mean the difference between life and death."

Maria sent the billionaire playboy an impromptu glare, which didn't affect the calm look Wayne was giving her.

"If you think Wily is going to try to take you back, there is a chance that he actually _will,_ " Wayne explained.

"There's also a chance that he _won't,"_ Maria replied. There was a slightly shaky tone in her voice, but there was also a great amount of determination.

"Are you willing to take that chance, considering what you know about Wily?"

Maria's circuits nearly froze, but the Reploid shook the feeling off while she thought back to everything that had to occurred in the Capcom Kingdom. She didn't have to think back, however -- she knew what Bruce Wayne had said was right.

Maria let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll tell Capsicle."

Wayne frowned. "Capsicle?"

Maria looked over at Wayne, and frowned upon seeing the slight look of confusion on his face. "Stark didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Captain America was part of a program in World War II. Howard Stark, Tony's dad, helped a German scientist/refugee in using a serum that was said to make those that were weak stronger -- a perfect soldier, if you will. Cap was the only one who went through it, though, because the Nazis killed the scientist not too long after he went through the process.

"Cap ended up leading his own team during the war and helped take down the Nazis as much as he could. One particular mission of his -- making sure the US wasn't bombed by the Germans -- resulted in him getting frozen in the North Pole ice caps when a plane he had commandeered crashed." Maria shrugged. "He was found a few years ago in his world, perfectly preserved by the ice."

Wayne raised an eyebrow. "And the man I'm forced to work with?"

A grin spread across Maria's face. "Anthony Stark, aka Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. He, like you, runs a company that his dad ran -- the man I mentioned earlier, Howard Stark. Thing is, though, they got most of their cash from making weapons. Then Stark got into a bit of trouble when it turned out that a Middle Eastern group called the Ten Rings could get their hands on said tech. He found out when they kidnapped him and forced him to work on making a weapon.

"When he had been kidnapped, though, a lot of shrapnel entered his body. A fellow prisoner ended up doing surgery in order to remove it, but he didn't get all of it. Stark had to build himself an electromagnet in order to keep the shrapnel from getting to his heart and killing him. Then he built his first Iron Man suit and got out of there with the help of his fellow prisoner, who ended up getting killed in the process.

"After that, Stark stopped building weapons and started to concentrate on something else, which turned out to be the suit of armor he's presently wearing. Word to the wise: he can be a bit eccentric sometimes, so you may have to adapt."

"So I've gathered." Wayne got to his feet and started to put the untouched food back in the basket -- but not before Maria had snagged a couple sandwiches. "If you want to tell your friend you had better hurry."

Maria blinked, then gave a nod. "Right." She turned and started for the hill, then paused and turned to look back.

To her surprise, the picnic table was empty, and Bruce Wayne was no longer in sight.

The Reploid looked at the empty table in confusion for a moment, then let out a sigh and shook her head, a smirk making its way across her face. "Of course."

With that, she turned and dashed up the hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's something to be said for Maria, it's that she's very well-informed and doesn't have much of a filter when it comes to things.
> 
> That changes, later on. Takes a bit, though.


	7. Chapter 7

When Maria entered the dining hall, Chaos instantly appeared in front of her.

 _"I take it that you have cooled down sufficiently?"_ the Pokemon inquired.

Maria gave a nod. "Yeah. Right now, though, I need to find Cap. Any idea where he is?"

_"I believe he is presently testing your theory that Victini is unbeatable."_

At the back of Maria's mind, a Pokemon theme song from a Hoenn season started to play, but the Reploid forced it down and out of hearing range. "Some sort of sparring field I'm guessing, then."

_"Correct. I shall lead you there."_

Chaos turned and started for the other side of the dining hall, which was pretty much empty except for a darkened corner where it looked like there was a huddle of some sort. Occasionally, a shadowed figure looked up in order to make side that no one might have been listening in.

 _I don't like the look of them,_ Maria mentally warned, glaring at the group.

 _"Neither do the others who are competing,"_ Chaos replied. _"However, they had to be brought here so that the worlds the contestants had left would remain relatively peaceful until they return."_

"You could have done something to make sure they wouldn't do anything and _remained there,"_ Maria muttered under her breath. "There could be people here who are planning things that shouldn't be done."

Chaos looked over at Maria with a slightly curious expression as they reached the doors that led to the stages. He then looked over at the corner with a calculating expression.

 _"Perhaps something will be done tonight,"_ the Mewtwo admitted.

The doors in front of them opened, and Chaos motioned for Maria to step inside.

_"Go on. I believe you may be able to get those two to stop their spar so that you may speak with your combat partner."_

Maria gave the Pokemon a smirk and a nod, then stepped through the doorway...

...and onto a familiar scene.

Tall pillars rose up on either side of Maria as she stepped though the entrance, taking note that the stone columns were clearly handmade...and spiked at the top.

"Spear Pillar," the Reploid murmured.

She wasn't able to admire the work for long, however, because she was abruptly interrupted by he sound of Victini shrieking.

Maria started to look around quickly, trying to find where the little Fire/Psychic-Type was located. If she could find him, she might be able to find Cap.

Maria's eyes scanned the ruins of Mt. Coronet, looking for something that could hint at where the two combatants were located. When Victini called out again, she tried to head out in the direction of the yell, but then she heard the call behind her. When the Reploid turned around, however, she didn't see the little Legendary anywhere in sight.

"There must be some sort of echo," Maria muttered, looking around. After a moment, she decided to move deeper into Spear Pillar.

However, before the Reploid could take even a step, a blast of fire moved across her vision, and a familiar object was thrown into it, cutting he tongue of flame in half.

"Whoa!" Out of surprise, Maria jumped back. She then followed the stream of fire, which suddenly went around a pillar and disappeared out of sight.

The Reploid blinked in confusion, then frowned. "What is going on?" She looked in the other direction, watching as Cap's shield retreated around in that direction. Maria dashed in that direction and turned around the pillar...only to get slammed into by Cap.

"Hey! I'm on your side!" Maria yelled reflexively after her back had hit another pillar.

The glare that had been on Cap's face dissipated, and a look of surprise quickly replaced it. "Maria? What are you doing here?" He backed up, allowing Maria to stand on her own.

"Chaos let me in," Maria explained. "I need to talk to you."

Victini called out again, and Cap ducked as a stream of fire came blasting at him from behind.

"Kind of busy here," Cap growled. He turned and started to look for Victini after the flames dissipated, but the Legendary was nowhere in sight.

"It looks like Spear Pillar is warping space or something like that," Maria spoke up as Cap looked around for his opponent. "Pokemon attacks just don't go around corners like that."

"Any suggestions as to how to beat Victini?" Cap asked.

"You don't, like I said this morning. Either he beats you, or he throws the match by _letting_ you beat him." Maria moved to stand next to Cap, watching for anything that might end up coming their way.

A little red, V-shaped blur suddenly zipped into view, only to disappear out of sight mere seconds later.

"Great," Cap growled. "Just my luck."

Maria gained a slightly calculating expression. "I wouldn't say that just yet." She stepped around to stand in front of the Avenger and spread out the reach of her infrared sight as far as it could go.

As the Reploid had suspected, the space of Spear Pillar was being distorted at least somewhat -- there were areas of her vision that lit up when they weren't supposed to with different levels of heat. However, there were also tracks from where Victini had flown around, showing where the little Legendary had come from...as well as where he was going.

Maria switched back to normal sight just as Victini reappeared, coated in flames and charging directly at them. All the Reploid did was hold up her left hand in what could be considered the universal "stop" motion.

Victini didn't even bother to stop. He slammed into the palm, causing flames to fly in five directions, only to become absorbed into Maria's form.

The Fire/Psychic-Type flew back a couple feet, shaking his head as he rubbed a sore spot between his ears. _"Hey -- what gives?"_

"This," Maria replied. She moved her right arm to aim at the Pokemon, the hand morphing into her Buster as it reached the spot she wanted it to.

The bright blue blast that came out of the Buster sent Victini rocketing back into a pillar, causing it to collapse and kick up dust. When this cleared, the Fire/Psychic-Type was entrapped in a large chunk of ice.

"That won't hold him for long," Maria warned, her arm reversing the change that had been made. "He'll probably melt it and escape within a few minutes." She started forward, but Cap grabbed her arm.

"He'll probably blast you as soon as you get close," the Avenger warned.

"I've faced worse."

Cap gave Maria a suspicious look, then reluctantly let go, allowing for the Reploid to approach the block of ice with he trapped Pokemon inside.

"Listen, I need to talk to you about something," Maria spoke without looking back as she walked forward. "That's why I came in here and made it two against one." She reached the block of ice. "That's why I also stopped the match momentarily, because I need to speak with you without prying eyes anywhere nearby."

Maria kicked the ice, and it shattered; Victini fell to the ground with a surprised squeak, then looked up in confusion at the Reploid.

Maria offered him a slight smile. "Sorry, buddy, but I've got to cut your spar short. There's something I have to talk about with Cap."

Victini's ears drooped, and a disappointed look appeared on his face. _"Aw.... Do you have to? We were having so much fun!"_

" _You_ were," Cap corrected.

Victini stuck his tongue out at the Avenger. _"Party pooper."_ He returned his attention to Maria. _"Feeling better than you were this morning, then?"_

Maria gave a nod. "I managed to get a few things straightened out, but there's one more thing I have to do."

The little Legendary let out a sigh. _"Alright, fine. Go -- I'll look for someone else to challenge."_

Maria gave a nod as an open doorway leading to the dining hall appeared next to the Fire/Psychic-Type. "Thanks, V." She turned and motioned for Cap to follow her, then strode off Spear Pillar.

**Time Break**

Maria led Cap into her sleeping quarters as they came off the warp panel. "It's the only place I feel safe telling you about this," she explained to the soldier. "That is, if you don't mind the decor." She motioned to the bed, which looked better than it had that morning when the Reploid had vacated the apartment. "Go ahead. Sit. I plan on standing."

Cap gave Maria a curious look, but complied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Maria let out a sigh, trying to force out the tension that was being built up at the thought of what she was about to say. "You remember what I'd said that first night here right? When I said that I'd had a little problem with Wily being here?"

Cap gave a nod. "Is that why you snapped at Batman the other night?"

Maria nodded grimly. "Because of my robotic form, being reprogrammed can be considered a weakness for me, like magnetics and Wolverine. That's...that's what Wily did to me."

The Reploid let out a shudder. "As soon as he got ahold of me, he stripped me of my free will and personality -- or, at least, almost did. Since I used to be human, I somehow managed to keep ahold of who I was, but it was buried pretty deep. Dr. Light, after Rock had rescued me, managed to revive my original self. Unfortunately, Wily's program wasn't easy to get rid of. There's still a small around left in my systems, and it can be activated by speaking a certain code."

"Why are you telling me this?" Cap frowned. "And why can this thing still be activated?"

"Since I know a lot about you already, I think it would be fair to level the playing field so that neither of us are hiding surprises from each other," Maria explained. "As for my other reason...." She let out a sigh. "I don't want Wily getting control of me here. He could use me against the contestants here -- including you. And I don't want to force anyone to be on the other side of my Buster.

"Dr. Light managed to remove most of Wily's program, and what's left makes me feel and act more like a soldier than a soulless robot. Believe me, it's a whole lot better than what Wily's original Master Control Program did to me. Unfortunately, I don't know why they made it capable of being activated."

Cap frowned, considering what Maria was suggesting. "You think Wily will try to win you back."

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Maria leaned against the wall behind her. "It's your call, Cap. Do you want to know the code or not?"


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, when Maria awoke, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Immediately crediting it with having explained her situation to Cap the day before, she got to her feet, only to be startled by the alarm that went off from the small monitor. The Reploid watched as bright blue text scrolled across the screen as a black and white checker pattern materialized behind it.

_"Today we're going for something a little more nostalgic for the second challenge. Two worlds have had their fair share of this challenge already, but it will be interesting to see what the rest of you will make of it."_

Maria blinked, then frowned out of confusion. "What's that supposed to mean? And what's with the checkerboard?" The frown deepened. "And saying that two worlds have gone through something like this doesn't help me very much!" The Reploid let out an annoyed growl, then stomped over to the warp panel and stepped on it, entering the dining hall in a flash of light.

The smaller groups of tables had been turned into two long tables, with one being longer than the other. As Maria looked at the two, she took note as to why: the shorter table seated villains, while the longer table seated all the heroes from the different worlds who had chosen to stay.

The Reploid simply shrugged and started for the longer table, looking for Cap to see if she would end up sitting next to him again. The red, blue, and white vigilante was not hard to find -- he had taken an open spot between Batman and an open seat, which was right next to Rock and his sister, Roll.

"Morning," Maria greeted, sliding into the open spot.

Cap glanced over, taking note of the distracted frown that was on Maria's face as she gathered together what would be her breakfast. "Something bothering you?"

"The message on the monitor in my bedroom," Maria replied. "It said the challenge today was going to be familiar to people of two different worlds. It doesn't exactly help that there are so many worlds to choose from." Taking the two pieces of French toast she had grabbed, the Reploid put a cheese omelette and a couple slices of bacon between them, as well as a small amount of syrup. Picking up the entire "breakfast sandwich," Maria took a bite out of it and started chewing viciously, a look of concentration on her face.

"We're going to learn what it is sooner or later, " Rock pointed out, giving her a concerned look. "You don't have to torture yourself by trying to figure out what it is."

"I'd rather know what it is rather than let the anxiety of not knowing eat me from the inside out," Maria replied stubbornly. She took another bite from her breakfast, glaring at a spot between the two sitting across the table, not looking air either of them, but at the back of a figure with two giant, golden horns coming out the top if his head. "I just hope that it might knock some of _them_ out of here."

Cap glanced over in the direction Maria was glaring, then gave a slight nod in agreement, a serious look in his eyes.

"Who are you two talking about?" Batman asked.

"Villains in general," Maria replied in low tones. "I'm specifically glaring at the back of one Norse god named Loki."

"Loki?"

"Thor's adopted brother," Cap explained.

"He's one of those masters of disguise," Maria added darkly. "According to legend, he actually managed to turn himself into a woman and gave birth to the monsters that you run into in your nightmares."

" _That_ is why I hate magic," Batman stated abruptly.

There were a few chuckles of agreement from others sitting near him.

 _"Greetings, heroes and villains,"_ Chaos stated, appearing between the tables. _"As you are most likely aware, today you are faced with a new challenge."_ He looked over in Maria's direction. _"And, as I am aware, there are some of you who are agonizing over what the challenge is."_

Maria gave him a slightly frustrated look, but said nothing even as some of those around her sent the Reploid a smirk or two.

 _"You need not wonder for much longer."_ Chaos made a waving motion, and the doors that signaled a fight somewhere appeared at their usual place. _"However, I must warn you that this is a single-person challenge. The six who end up at the bottom of the leader board by the end of the day will be sent home, and those who were their partners will have to join up with each other in order to continue."_

Maria and Cap exchanged glances; there were some murmurings across the table as those who had been paired up discussed what the Mewtwo had just stated.

"And thus the stakes are raised," Maria murmured to herself.

 _"Your transportation will be provided for you in this challenge; the Hands did not want to see the lot of you going about on foot."_ Chaos smiled ruefully, then disappeared.

"Aw, man!" Sonic snapped his fingers. "The last time anybody said that was --" He cut himself off, and a moment later a blue blur was seen going for the doors as they opened; Sonic soon disappeared.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Flash's iconic red blur soon disappeared, as well.

Maria blinked. "Sonic knows something...." It took her mind a moment before it was going through the entire list of games that Sonic may or may not have been involved in. A moment later, her eyes widened, and a grin slipped onto her face.

The Reploid got to her feet and started walking leisurely to the door. As she passed Batman, she muttered, "You'd better hope your car's here."

Maria didn't bother to look back to see the Dark Knight's reaction; she started to jog forward instead, and disappeared through he doors at the exact moment there was the sudden sound of great movement in the dining hall.

As soon as the Reploid walked through those doors, she stepped out from underneath a large row of bleachers, which were roaring with loud cheers from its occupants -- Chao and Goombas, mostly.

It wasn't the spectators that really got Maria worried, however.

It was the fact that her artificial ears -- her audio sensors -- automatically decreased the volume of the crowd from a deafening roar to background noise.

The Reploid quickly shook off the worry, thinking that Dr. Light may have added that feature as an extra precaution, to make sure that the parts wouldn't wear themselves out as quickly. Maria then started towards the row of cars, a small number of others coming through the opening behind her.

There were a total of eight cars lined up behind the starting line, and one of them was already occupied: Sonic was sitting somewhat comfortably in his blue speedster, looking like he was ready to step on the gas -- or jump out and run rather than have to rely on the vehicle.

"We have to use these machines?!" Thor demanded, looking a little surprised. "I can fly faster than these metallic objects."

"And I can run faster than you can fly," Sonic retorted, looking over at the Norse god. "Rules are rules, buddy. Sorry."

"And if you don't know how to use a car, there's a tutorial system built in." Tails flew up above the crowd and landed in a bight yellow car that looked like it had plane parts added on. "It's pretty helpful later on in the race."

Maria looked around for a moment, watching the others start to observe the cars and look over each of the designs.

"How do we know which one is ours?" Sora piped up, looking in Sonic's direction.

"It's gotta fit who you are," the hedgehog replied. "Personality, costume -- whatever."

With this in mind, Maria scanned the row of cars again, then stopped when she caught sight of one in particular and started towards it.

The car was bright red and orange, and didn't really look like it have been made anywhere on Earth -- or any other planet that might have been inhabited by humans, unless Dr. Light turned himself into a mechanic. The car itself appeared to have been built for speed, what with the pointed front and smooth, almost armor-like body. Unlike some of the other vehicles, this one actually had a roof and tinted windows, so Maria couldn't have a peak inside in order to get a feel for the innards.

The one thing that didn't exactly look like it belonged there was the symbol that had been stamped onto the door on the driver's side: a flame-surrounded PokeBall with a blue, buzzsaw-like shape that was over the sphere.

Maria tested the door and, delighted to find that the car was unlocked, slipped into the driver's seat, which appeared to have been made of leather -- as were the other seats that made up the car's interior. But it was not the seating arrangements that got the Reploid's attention. Rather, it was the touch screen on the dash right above where the radio was located, where a message icon (a bright yellow envelope) was blinking on the screen.

Out of curiosity, Maria tapped the message icon. _Maybe this is the tutorial system that Tails was talking about?_

 _"Hello!"_ came a sudden, cheery voice. _"I'm Omachao!"_

Maria instantly responded with a groan and a face palm. "Seriously?" she muttered, dragging her hand down her face.

There was a chuckle from the dash, and the voice became a more realistic, female voice. _"No, I'm not that freaky robotic Chao, and I'm not one of those people from Mobius, either. Or probably any other place you might have run into."_

The Reploid looked at the dash with a somewhat confused expression, blinking for a moment before frowning. "Then what am I going to call you?"

_"...I've been called a lot of things in my lifetime, kid. But you can call me...Frieda, I guess."_

"Frieda?" Maria blinked. There was something about the name that didn't seem to fit the car. The Reploid shook the feeling off, however, and gave a half-shrug. "All right, then. Is there anything I need to now, Frieda?"

_"Since you're not staring at the steering wheel right now and messing with the gas and brake pedals, I'm guessing you already know how to drive."_

"I'm seventeen. Where I come from, it's kind of a given to know at least _something_ about driving as soon as you reach sixteen."

_"Okay, good. Because I don't want to go through the whole thing and delay the race for any longer than I have to. So, let's go straight to the bells and whistles -- of which there aren't very many. First off -- the horn. You use that to set off the doohickeys your car's going to pick up. It also lets you express your annoyance at other drivers."_

"As is to be expected," Maria responded.

 _"Unfortunately_ , _there isn't any sort of targeting system that would work very well for you, and I wouldn't recommend trying to hunt one down while you're driving._

_"You've also got a warning system that'll let you know if someone's right on your tail, or something's coming at you. The touch screen also displays the map of the track and what sort of 'power-up' you've got in the system right at that moment. Keep in mind that you can only have one kind of power-up in the system at a time, so you'll have to dump it before you can pick up a new one."_

"Unless it were cones or punching gloves," Maria pointed out, thinking back to one of the games that she had played with her siblings.

_"Indeed. I'm gonna let you know one last thing -- this car's a convertible, and I'd recommend you put the top down so that you can see what's going on outside a little better."_

"But I can see just fine how things are now."

_"You can't look up."_

Maria's eyes narrowed, and she let out a sigh of annoyance. "All right, all right. Where's the button that lets the top down?" She started to look around for something that looked like what a convertible would normally come equipped with.

_"Don't worry about looking for it. I got this."_

There was the sound of machinery moving somewhere behind Maria, and the roof started to move back as the windows moved down as one.

"That's cool," Maria stated, watching as the roof folded back.

There was a chuckle from the dash. _"It was no problem. If you need anything else, don't be afraid to give me a shout."_ There was a loud beep, most likely signifying that the "tutorial program" had shut itself off.

However, the Reploid could sense that, for some odd reason, she was being watched by the dashboard.

"At least it isn't as annoying as --"

"Racers! Start your engines!"

Maria stared in surprise at the small, gray creature that was floating on the other side of the starting line. The high-pitched voice was still ringing in her ears, but she still managed to start up her vehicle. The engine came to life with a roar

Omachao waved the flag it was carrying around a little so that it would still be able to look at the contestants, rather than at the black and white checkered pattern. "Three!"

Maria gripped the steering wheel and glared at the road in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a road map appear on the screen, as well as an empty box in one corner that must have been where the power-ups would show up.

Realizing she had forgotten something, the Reploid put the car in drive and made sure that one of her feet was on the brake to prevent a false start.

"Two!"

Engines across the starting line revved loudly as the Chao and Goombas who were in the stands started to make more noise.

"One!"

A grin slowly crept across Maria's face, and she prepared to gun it.

"Go!"

Cars roared across the starting line at various speeds, either petering out or zooming ahead of the rest of the pack. Maria was somewhere between the two, doing her best to watch out for over cars so that she wouldn't be sent spinning out of control by running into them.

 _Relax, Maria,_ the Reploid thought to herself. _You're not going to get anywhere if you stiffen up like this._

The track itself appeared to be pretty simple -- as well as extremely familiar. Maria at first had to fight to remain in her place and avoid the edges of cliffs...as well as the spiked rocks that rolled down checkered cliffs.

"Seaside Hill," Maria muttered dubiously to herself. "At least it's someplace that's familiar." She took a sharp turn in the road and found herself glaring at the back of Sonic's blue speedster.

 _"You do know you've got a power-up, right?"_ Frieda's voice came from the console.

"I can't really look over right now," Maria replied. She steered around a box that Tails suddenly dropped, her foot starting to put more pressure on the gas. "What is it?"

_"Couple punching gloves."_

A grin appeared on Maria's face, and she promptly slammed down on the horn. "Perfect! Take that, Sonic!"

A green boxing glove with a rocket attached to the open end slammed into Sonic's car, sending him spinning out of control with a couple yells of surprise.

"Yes!" Maria stomped on the gas and zoomed ahead, glaring ahead at Tails, who was looking back with wide eyes of surprise.

_"Pretty good shot...for someone who was aiming for the car right in front of you."_

"You said it yourself -- there aren't very good aiming capabilities with this thing."

_"...Touché."_

Up ahead, Tails' car started to change. A moment later, he was flying above the track, rising out of Maria's range of fire.

"Rats!" Maria snarled. She gunned ahead in order to try and gain a new lead underneath the plane, only to let out a yelp when three cones were dropped in front of her, sending the car skidding.

 _"Hey! Watch the paint!"_ Frieda complained.

"You're not the one driving!" Maria retorted.

_"I can be, you know."_

"I doubt they'd let me go on autopilot!"

Maria took a sharp turn in the track, then shot ahead. Hitting the horn again, a second punching glove shot out the front of the car, slamming into Shadow's motorcycle and sending the hedgehog spinning out of control and off the track. Maria didn't stay long, but she was sure that the black hedgehog was yelling expletives at whoever may or may not have been in ear shot.

The cars drove over the checkered line in the road; one lap down.

Maria took the cave on the left side, steering around another competitor -- some sort of go-kart that was painted bright red. She didn't bother to see who was driving, because a moment later she heard an exclamation in Italian.

 _"That's one unhappy Italian,"_ Frieda noted. _"On the bright side, you're in about fifth place right now, which is rather surprising, considering this is your first race."_

Maria grunted in response to this, then ran into a brightly colored box with a giant question mark in the center. Glancing over at the dash, a smirk appeared on her face. "This could change that."

One press of the horn later, and Maria's car zoomed forward with a sudden burst of speed, causing Thor, who had been a few cars behind her, let out a yell of alarm, followed by loud questions.

 _"Does blondie have a mute button?"_ Frieda asked dryly.

Maria chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think so."

The rest of the race, Maria managed to keep her spot, which was difficult, considering that Mario and Shadow kept coming up from behind in order to try and take her out. The Reploid kept finding cones and punching gloves, however, and she used them frequently in order to keep her spot from anyone coming up from behind. By the time she had crossed the finish line, Sonic, Tails, Blues, and Kintobor had already crossed.

Maria slammed the brakes as she came in, causing the car to swerve around and come to a stop behind the rest of the racecars. She then unbuckled herself from her seat and jumped out, grinning as the others approached.

"You certainly knew your way around the track," Blues noted as he came to a stop. The Robot Master crossed his arms over his chest. "Like you knew what you were doing."

"Well, there _is_ this video game that I ended up playing that involved this track," Maria admitted, grinning sheepishly. "My siblings and I play SEGA All-Stars Racing once in a while."

Sonic smirked and shook his head. "You've probably got games from everybody's worlds."

"If that were true, then our entire house would be filled to the brim with games. But it isn't."

Shadow drove up and came to a halt with practiced ease, an unreadable expression on his face that gave the impression of annoyance. He got off his bike.

"Who got here first?" the black hedgehog asked.

Tails raised a hand. "That was me." A grin appeared on his face. "I just needed to fly over."

The hedgehog's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

"I hope this isn't the only race of the day," Maria remarked, looking around at the track. "I'd kind of like to have another go."

"Another go?" Kintobor looked at the Reploid in minor surprise. "I hope you haven't found yourself another hobby besides Pokemon battles."

Maria chuckled lightly. "No. It's just that I haven't ever done anything like this in real time before, and I want to be able to enjoy every minute of it."

The last two members of the race drove in, Mario managing to skid to a halt before Thor zoomed over, then jumped out of his yellow and gray car right before it went over the edge of the cliff.

"I do not wish to get into anything like that again," Thor stated, frowning at the cars that were still sitting on the track. "This sport does not please me."

Blues' visor creased in the center as he frowned, and he inclined his head slightly as he looked at the Norse god of thunder. "Then what are you interested in?"

"I prefer combat over what we faced today," Thor replied. He gripped his hammer tightly.

 _"Then you may want to return to where you met this morning -- and quickly."_ Chaos materialized before them. _"It seems you were right, Maria -- the villains from your worlds seem to have become riled up."_

Maria's eyes widened upon hearing this, but she soon replaced her look of surprise with one of determination. "We'd better get moving -- and fast. We don't want those idiots to get the upper hand of everyone else."

The Mewtwo nodded, and a moment later an open doorway appeared beside him, revealing the dining hall in chaos as heroes who were already there were fighting against the number of villains who had been taken from their worlds. It looked like they were presently trapped in a stalemate. _"Go, and hurry."_

Sonic gave a nod. "Okay, guys -- let's do it to it!" There was a blast of noise as he rocketed through the doorway at the speed of sound, the others following close behind.


	9. Chapter 9

As soon as Maria came through the doorway -- the last of a group -- a man with the face of some sort of deranged clown turned his attention to the newcomers.

"Well, well, look who decided to join the party!" Joker exclaimed with a laugh. He started grabbing pie trays from the table next to him and started throwing them rapid-fire at the group.

The Reploid let out a yelp and ducked as one was thrown in her direction. It crashed into the wall behind her, then started to emit a sizzling noise. When Maria turned to see why this was so, she saw the contents of the pie starting to eat a hole in the wall.

Maria suppressed the urge to swallow nervously. "Well, now we know to avoid the pies."

The pies continued to land haphazardly around them, the Joker chuckling in such a way that if you didn't know who he was already, it would have sent chills down your spine. When he had realized he had run out, he looked around at the pies -- none of which had hit the group -- he let out a high pitched giggle and shrugged. "Oopsie. Looks like I missed." A malicious grin appeared on his face. "Or did I?"

Maria frowned, then looked over at one of the pies again. When she saw that they were releasing some sort of pink smoke, she screamed, "MOVE! Now!" She slammed into Blues and got him away from the pies, the Robot Master letting out a yell of protest as she and the others cleared away from the collection of smoking pies.

A moment later, they all exploded in a blast of pink smoke.

"Stay away from that stuff!" Maria warned, a terrified look on her face.

"Why?" Thor inquired.

"That's Joker's laughing gas! Get any of it in your lungs, and you're going to end up laughing yourself to death." Maria looked worried. "It's a poison that the Joker designed that makes you act like you have his sick mind. It's not a good way to go, believe me."

Sonic and Blues glared at the Joker.

"Let's take this guy down," Sonic muttered, cracking his knuckles.

"Agreed," Blues replied, drawing his sword.

The two started forward, but two black blurs suddenly slammed into the Joker, sending him flying with a screech of surprise and anger.

"You take care of the others," Batman ordered, looking over at the group.

"We'll take care of the Joker," Nightwing added.

The two heroes from Gotham ran after the green and purple madman.

" 'K. Looks like we gotta split up." Maria nodded to the others, then looked around the fight scene for a moment.

The Reploid soon spotted someone who looked like he could use a little help: a young man with spiky, light brown hair and a sword like weapon in his hand, Maria activated the jets in her boots and zoomed towards him over the crowd, occasionally putting a blast of fire right at the feet of a villain.

Maria soon reached her destination. Landing in front of the chosen hero with a loud clang, she started blasting the villains nearby with her firepower, including black ant-like monsters with glowing yellow eyes. Somewhere, Maria was sure she could hear Poison Ivy screaming in fear.

"You all right there, kid?" Maria asked, glancing back at the boy.

The spiky-haired boy in armor nodded, then used his key to knock back a creature that looked like a black ant with bright yellow eyes. "Yeah. Fine. These things just overwhelmed me for a minute."

"What are Heartless doing here, anyway?" Maria held a Fire Sphere in her hands for a moment, then sent it at two Heartless; the creatures disintegrated. "I'd have thought they would have stayed in the Disney Kingdom, not try to invade the other corners of the Multiverse."

"There's darkness everywhere, so they can go anywhere," the boy replied. He gave Maria a curious look. "Your voice...."

The Reploid glanced back, cocking her head slightly. "What about it?"

"It sounds...familiar, somehow." The boy shook his head. "I'm probably just imagining things."

A dry smirk appeared on Maria's face. "Yeah. Probably." She held up her left hand and sent a Fire Sphere into a Heartless that got too close for her liking. "Name's Maria."

"Ventus, but most people just call me Ven."

Maria's eyes widened slightly, and then her smirk widened into a grin. "Pleasure."

The two moved to a back-to-back stance, firing and slashing away at the dark creatures that had somehow managed to invade the tournament. On the other side of the crowd of monsters, Maria could see Lea and Riku working together, and there was a flash of blue as someone else moved from one side to the other, destroying large groups.

"You don't look like any of the others around here," Ven called over the noise of the chaos. There was the sound of a crack of thunder, and Maria look up to see Thor slamming into Loki, who had managed to get his hands on some sort of staff that was allowing him to fly around. "You're a whole lot younger than some of these guys."

"At home, I'm not considered an adult legally," Maria replied. "I'm only seventeen." A Heartless within arm's reach was incinerated by a fist covered in fire. Others soon started to follow. "I've done enough to get placed among the more well-known heroes, however."

"Oh?" Ven slashed through a number of Heartless, then jumped up and sent a blast of electricity out into the crowd. A shockwave soon followed, giving the Reploid and the Keyblade user more room to move about. "What kind of stuff?"

"Saving worlds from getting destroyed. Rescuing a long lost civilization from dying out. That sort of thing."

"Huh. I guess you're like me, then."

"Hmm?" Maria glanced back.

"A Keyblade user." Ven held up his weapon, then returned his attention to the Heartless and started slashing again.

Maria blinked, then smirked. "Something like that." She returned her attention to the Heartless. "But I prefer the term World Jumper."

They made quick work of the remaining Heartless, Ven slashing through the last one just as Lea, Riku, and the blue-haired figure -- now revealed to be a woman -- came over.

"Are you all right, Ven?" the woman asked, going straight for Ven.

"I'm fine, Aqua," Ven replied. "Maria turned out to be a great help."

"It wasn't a problem," Maria replied dismissively. "I'm always glad to help."

Aqua looked at Maria with wide eyes. "You're the one that Sora spoke of -- one of the two girls who knew where we were."

Maria blinked, then gained a sheepish expression. "Yup." She chuckled nervously. "That's me." She looked the Keyblade master over. "And you're one of the people who disappeared -- Aqua, right?"

Aqua gave a nod. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

Around them, the fighting started to slow to a halt as the multiple villains that had been causing trouble were caught.

Out of Maria's peripheral vision, she could see Thor keeping a tight grip on his brother as he dragged him over to where Chaos stood. Batman followed with a knocked out Joker.

The Reploid's robotic systems made it a point to tag every single one of the villains and match it with a list of those she knew to be present at the tournament.

Maria noted that Bowser, Bowser Jr, and Wily were missing, not to mention the cloaked figure the evil scientist had been partnered up with.

Sora ran up to the group, a delighted look on her face. "That was a lot more fun than battling Heartless!"

Riku gave Sora a deadpan expression, then shook his head at the boy's statement. Lea mimicked the silver-haired Keyblade master.

Aqua, however, looked at the boy with a disapproving expression. "Battles aren't meant to be fun," she stated, frowning.

"Not all of them," Maria confirmed. "But there are some places were people consider sparring a hobby, or a way of life. It depends on the world."

 _"Heroes,"_ Chaos called out. _"I thank you for stopping the madness your adversaries were causing, before it escalated further. They will be moved to the No Zone for the rest of the tournament, and will be returned to their natural worlds when we are done here."_ He looked around for a moment. _"Maria, I may have need of your assistance."_

Maria blinked in surprise, looked at those around her, then started forward cautiously. "What do you need me for?"

 _"As my type of travel is made for those who specifically come from my world -- or are Pokemon themselves -- I cannot transport these...fiends...without possibly damage to their genetic structures."_ Chaos looked pointedly at the Joker, who was looking around in a slightly dazed expression. _"Even if some of them already have had such damage to them."_ The Mewtwo returned his gaze to Maria. _"Are you willing to use your gift to transport them to the No Zone for the time being?"_

Maria blinked. "The No Zone," she muttered, thinking back to what she knew of Sonic's corner of the Multiverse. The Reploid frowned momentarily, then gave a slight nod. "Yeah, sure. I can do that." As she spoke, Maria's systems were already re-routing power, so that she could do what Chaos was asking for. The Reploid wanted the villains out of the building as much as anyone ever could have.

Maria snapped her fingers, and a blue portal appeared beside her. "Start loading them in."

The heroes assembled looked at each other, then started taking the villains and dragging the reluctant figures into the portal. Soon, the portal was a two-way lane that allowed the heroes to move from the dining hall to the No Zone and back.

"You'll never take me alive!" Joker shrieked as he was dragged through by Batman.

"Oh, shut up," Loki muttered in reply as he was escorted through by Thor. "You're not going to be killed."

 _"Just retained,"_ Chaos confirmed with a nod.

Soon, the villains were safely escorted out of the hall -- generally speaking, as some (Joker) went kicking and screaming -- and a relative state of calm settled over the hall.

Maria closed off the portal as the last few heroes came through, letting out a sigh of relief as the energy she was using were cut short. "Okay. I feel like I could eat a buffet right about now."

 _"I believe that can be arranged,"_ Chaos replied with a rueful smile. _"Dinner should be here shortly."_

"Good. It took a lot of energy in order to get a portal from here to the No Zone." Maria stretched out and looked like she was ready to collapse into a chair -- or just onto the floor.

"That wasn't an upgrade, was it?"

Maria looked over at where the voice had come from, catching sight of a curious Stark. The Reploid rolled her eyes. _Of course he'd be the one to ask that._

"No, it wasn't," Maria replied, smirking. "It's a natural ability."

"And it's what she used to go from one world to another," Sora spoke up. "Her sister, too."

"Sister?" asked multiple voices with surprise.

"Yes, I have a sister," Maria replied with an impatient expression. "Two brothers, as well. They've gone off-world at least once, but Liz has actually gone out twice."

There was a bright flash above the table, and plates of extravagant food soon appeared there. As soon as the Reploid caught sight of this, she took to the air and flew over the crowd so that she could get to the meal. Others, more curious about her statement than the food, followed close behind and started to take their places.

"Considering the way you've acted in the different challenges, I wouldn't have guessed that you had siblings," Scarlet remarked as she sat down across from the Reploid. "According to what I've heard, you actually play pretty well with others."

"It comes with the territory sometimes," Maria replied with a shrug.

"Sometimes?" Rock, who was sitting to her left, gave her a confused look.

"We've been known to get into arguments from time to time," the Reploid admitted. "It can happen when we're put into close quarters and end up doing something the other doesn't like very much. Or not doing anything at all. We're kinda fickle people that way." Maria chuckled quietly at a memory of an argument that had ended on good terms -- a rare occurrence, if not for the fact that she had been arguing with Matthew and Collin at the time. If it had been Liz....

Maria shook the thought out of her head. This wasn't a time to remise about that.

"I suppose they know you're still going around from world to world?" Cap asked from Maria's right.

A nervous look slipped onto Maria's face. "Well, my _family_ does, but I'm not so sure about all of my neighbors."

"Why not?" Rock piped up.

Maria blinked, looking a little dumbfounded for a second. Then a smirk slipped onto her face, and she shook her head. "They don't really need to know about what I do on my own time. I think they're suspicious about where I disappear off to, but I haven't told anyone other than my family and a number of close friends."

"How did you manage to keep it secret for this long?" Scarlet asked in surprise.

The Reploid shrugged helplessly. "I'm surprised myself that I've managed to keep it quiet. I'm getting the feeling that won't last for long, though. Not when I popped into the middle of the street after...." She trailed off and motioned to her armor, the slight smirk fading from her face.

Rock's face shifted, as did Cap's, but Scarlet simply gave a nod, not quite knowing what Maria may have been referring to.

"So, are you ever going to tell them?" the red-furred Mobian asked.

Maria looked unsure. "I don't know. Considering everything that's going on, they're probably going to figure it out the next time I try to slip away. I might end up telling them, too...." She shook her head. "I'll figure it out when I head home."

"You'd better," Riku voiced from somewhere nearby. "Keeping secrets can do more damage than good."

Soon, the conversation began to degrade to general things that Maria felt more comfortable talking about during dinner. Occasionally, some of the people would change seats in order to get a different conversation than they would at other sections of the table. Eventually, Chaos had to tell everyone that the eating hour was over and that they had to disperse.

 _"You can wander as you like,"_ Chaos added. _"The races will continue tomorrow."_

Maria frowned. Her right foot had been twitching a little during dinner, and the thought of getting back to racing hadn't been too far from her mind. However, this thought was soon replaced by one that caused the Reploid to smirk.

Getting up with a small number of others, Maria calmly walked out of the dining hall, down the hill, and to the small collection of shops that here located nearby.

Maria, taking note that the shops seemed to have improved greatly in number and merchandise, started to look around for something that might be of some sort of interest to her. There were clothing stores and stores with weapons that looked like they were from all across the timestream, but the Reploid had no need for either of those.

"Hey, Maria!"

The Reploid turned her head, and a smirk appeared on her face when she caught sight of Ben waving at her from the door of his shop.

"Hey!" Maria gave a wave as she ran over, grinning. "How're you doing, Ben?"

"Pretty good, all things considered," the comic book owner replied. "I've had very few customers, though. It doesn't look like very many of the contestants are interested in getting what I have."

"Well, I have no use for the weapons and clothes some of those other places are offering," Maria replied, jabbing with her thumb in the direction of the other shops. "Mind if I poke around in your place?"

"Not at all." Ben took a step back as he moved out of the doorway, allowing for Maria to step inside.

The Comic Haunt looked like a library of comic books only, and Maria liked the look of it. She instantly went for one of the areas that had Sonic comics and started to look through the books she had yet to get herself. While the Nintendo Kingdom's Sonic had intrigued her back when she was a Trainer, the Sonic from the _Prime Zone_ still had a lot yet to tell. She grabbed a book with Sonic and Tails in fisticuffs on the cover and started to page through it, considering taking it home for a more thorough reading later.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing the Reploid to turn sharply to her right in order to see who wanted to get her attention.

Wayne was standing there, holding out a book covered in mostly black with green highlights. The name on the cover was _Blackest Night._

"An interesting read," the billionaire playboy noted. "There is more to the Lanterns than I once thought."

"You learn a lot more about people if you're standing on the sidelines," Maria agreed, accepting the book as she put the other one back. "Look at any of your novels? Sometimes they look into what's going on in your villains' heads."

Wayne simply gave her a half-smile. Maria rolled her eyes in response to the look on his face.

"Did you look anywhere other than your home universe?" the Reploid asked coolly. "Some of the Avengers stuff can get to be pretty interesting."

"I've been considering it." Wayne gave her a slightly interested look. "Anything in particular that you want to suggest?"

Maria smiled ruefully. "Let's see if they have anything based off the movies." The Reploid promptly started to weave through the rows of bookcases, ending up in another section of the comic book store, which advertised everything Avengers.

Wayne picked up a plush doll that looked like Iron Man. "Are these things truly popular in your world?" He looked over at Maria, one eyebrow raised.

"You'd be surprised by what people consider popular these days," Maria replied with a one-sided grin. "Really, sometimes I have a hard time understanding what's in and what isn't." She perused the shelves for a moment, then found a paperback that had the words _IRON MAN_ emblazoned on the cover in bright silver. The Reploid glanced at the back for a moment and, seeing the words "based off the hit movie" in the summary on the back, held it out to Bruce Wayne to inspect. "I think this is a good starting place. I'm going to see if I can find the two that follow after it."

Maria felt Wayne take the book from her hand, and then she started to move further along the shelf, inspecting the different collections of comic book issues and actual novels that sat there, ready to be bought. Occasionally, she adjusted her grip on _Blackest Night,_ which she kept firmly in the crook of her left arm. When she finally found the other two, the Reploid looked over at Bruce Wayne, only to see that he was already paging through the book she had given him -- skimming, most likely.

"It gets to be more interesting the deeper you get into his mind," Maria offered, coming over with _Iron Man 2_ and _Iron Man 3_ in hand. "The actor who played him in the movies -- a guy named Robert Downey, Jr -- almost was Stark, in a way."

Wayne looked up and, seeing that she was holding two other books besides, closed the one he was holding and took the other two.

"This will make for interesting reading," he noted.

"And there's more besides." Maria jabbed her thumb in the direction of the wall of books. "Thor and Cap have probably got something over there, if I was able to find something on Stark." She held up the Green Lantern book. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see about paying for this and maybe knock a couple other things off my list of books to hunt down." With that, the Reploid left Bruce Wayne to look over the Marvel collection while she went back to Sonic's section. Grabbing three books that were marked as "Sonic Archives," she made her way over to the counter, where Ben was waiting expectantly for his two browsers to make their choice about something.

"Finally decided, then?" Ben asked as Maria dropped the books on the counter.

The Reploid gave a nod. "I've been looking for these books for a while," she explained, motioning to the pile of four books. "What I'm wondering, though, is how I'm going to be able to pay for all of this, because I doubt you'd be able to take money from my world."

"Oh, I think I can, but we actually take cash directly from the savings you've built up from what you've done already." Ben pulled a screen -- seemingly from out of nowhere -- and pointed at a few sets of numbers. "This one's your purchase." He tapped one of the numbers, which happened to be 1500. "Each book costs about 500 coin, depending on the book, but I'm giving you a couple discounts because it's your first time here and you helped me with that sign the other day."

Maria nodded. "Okay. But which one's my account from the tournament so far?"

Ben moved his finger to another number, which was about 5000. "You guys each got 3000 coin at the beginning of the tournament for supplies, then either gain or lose cash depending on what you do."

Ben put the screen somewhere under the counter, then turned his attention to the cash register. A few minutes later, there was a _ding!,_ and he returned his attention to Maria.

"That's it," Ben stated. He pulled out a plastic bag and started to put the books in them.

"Really?" Maria's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Really. I'm glad it isn't any more complicated." Ben offered the Reploid a half smile as he handed her the bag. "Well, there you go. Hope you enjoy them."

Maria grinned back at him. "Oh, I definitely will." With that, she turned and walked out, very nearly skipping past Bruce Wayne as he started to head over to the cash register himself. If the Reploid had looked back, she would have seen him shake his head and smirk.


	10. Chapter 10

Maria woke up with a jump when she heard a loud bullhorn resound from the monitor. She quickly scrambled out of the bed when a voice started speaking, the words appearing as subtitles on the monitor.

_"Good morning! As Chaos told you the night before, the racing tournament will be continued over the next few days. Be prepared, as the tracks will become tougher and you may find it harder to fight for your place. Good luck!"_

Maria crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the monitor, then shook her head. "They must be trying different ways to get people up," she noted.

After doing a quick systems check to make sure that she didn't need any new parts, the Reploid stepped onto the warp panel and into the dining hall.

The dining hall already had a lot of the contestants sitting in their seats, looking a little worse for the wear.

"Bullhorn wake you up, too?" Maria asked, sitting down next to Cap.

He shook his head. "A morning medley. Of trumpets." The Avenger took a drink from a mug that the Reploid suspected was full of coffee.

"I think I'd take that over Primal Dialga's roar any day," Pika piped up from Thor's shoulder. "It gave me chills." The Electric-Type shuddered.

Maria shuddered, as well, thinking back to when she had been a Vulpix and she had faced down Primal Dialga on top of Temporal Tower. "Seriously? How did they even get a _recording_ of that?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out."

"How is the roar of a creature terrifying?" Thor inquired.

"When Dialga went Primal, he became twisted," Maria explained quietly. "Time was going out of control thanks to a Pokemon called Darkrai, a creature that wanted a world of darkness. Since Dialga can control time, or is directly attached to it, he went crazy. Pika and I managed to face him down, but I think his cry haunted my dreams for a couple weeks afterward."

Thor frowned. "How can it haunt you? You are not the type to so easily be terrified by something you have beaten."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Thor. Sometimes, even what is over and done with can still haunt you."

Maria made it a point to promptly stuff her mouth with an omelette in order to keep from saying anything further -- it also acted as a way to say that the specific subject they had been talking about was definitely over.

"You'd think that they would have left us as is, like they did at the beginning of this whole thing," Lea grumbled into his scrambled eggs. "And I'm not even part of it anymore."

"You're sticking around," the light purple echidna next to him spoke up. "That's good enough for them!"

"Agreed," Maria said with a nod and a slight smile. "What got you up?"

"You don't want to know," Lea and Julie-Su responded together. Then they looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

Maria chuckled quietly to herself when she saw the looks on their faces. "Something tells me you two have more in common than on the surface."

"I dunno," Julie-Su replied. "I think he's more of a Beryl."

"What?" Lea gave her a curious look.

"Not what; who. He's another echidna."

"Who was trapped in an alternate dimension for almost five hundred years," Maria muttered under her breath.

Lea shot her a look of surprise. "Five _hundred?!"_

"Long story," Julie-Su replied dryly.

 _"It is time,"_ Chaos suddenly spoke. Maria caught sight of him floating above the table. _"Prepare for what lies ahead, all of you, for you will be going through two races today."_

Maria was one of the first ones out of her chair and going for the door.

The new track that the Reploid found herself on had giant red and white mushrooms on either side of the track. Most of the cars that were there looked like they had been taken from a go-kart ride.

Maria made a beeline for the familiar red and orange car that sat at the starting line, then jumped into the front seat without even opening the door.

"I'm ready to rock and roll," she announced loudly, grinning.

The engine revved in response, and Maria let out a laugh.

"I wouldn't be so excited, if-a I were you," spoke another voice.

The Reploid turned to look to her right, catching sight of a green go-kart, with a familiar green-themed Italian sitting in it.

"Oh?" Maria gave Luigi a curious look. "What makes you say that?"

"This is the-a toughest track that we'v-a got." Luigi looked nervous at the thought. "Rainbow Road."

Omachao appeared again, holding the extra-large checkered flag.

"Three!.... Two!.... One!.... GO!"

**Time Break**

Maria stomped into the dining hall, a frustrated look on her face. "I will never look at the Mushroom Kingdom the same way again!" she declared. "And especially not anything named 'Rainbow Road'."

From somewhere nearby, Sonic let out a chuckle. "Ran you for a loop, didn't they?"

"You have no idea," Maria replied, looking over at the hedgehog. The Mobian was standing next to a bird colored in two different shades of brown with a bright crest on top of its head. "Hey, Paul. How are things going for you?"

"Fine," the bird Pokemon replied. "I haven't been able to see any action, though." He looked over at Sonic. "Sonic thinks we're going to have a Pokemon battle tournament, though."

The hedgehog nodded. "They've done the Mystery Dungeon already. It would make sense that a battle would be next after this."

Maria shrugged. "You never know." She heard footsteps, and turned her head, catching sight of Cap coming out of the doors with another group. "How did your race go?"

"It was...strange," Cap managed. "But I also want to go back and make sure that every last one of the aliens I saw on the track were gone."

"Aliens?" Sonic blinked. "What do you mean?"

"These giant blackish creatures kept sabotaging the track," Cap explained. "We were up on some sort of satellite. Shadow probably would have beaten all of us if it hadn't been for a large alien. He picked up a Smash Ball, turned a silvery-gold color, and promptly tried to destroy it."

Your racetrack was a satellite?" Maria repeated. She frowned. "And aliens that got Shadow's attention...." Her eyes widened, then she shook her head. "I wouldn't worry about it. Shadow _probably_ clobbered those things a long time ago."

"I did." The black hedgehog walked past them as he spoke, then continued on without another word.

Cap watched Shadow go by, then looked back at Maria. "Mobian thing?"

"Let's just say that the Black Arms would have done nasty things if Shadow hadn't stepped in and saved his world," Sonic spoke up gravely.

"But I don't remember you telling me about that happening," Maria remarked, frowning.

"It happened after we got out of the Twilight Zone," the hedgehog explained. "Eggman had made an alliance with them and Shadow ended up playing a big part in taking them out."

"Well, so long as they aren't going to cause us trouble." Cap looked over at Sonic for a moment. "It's amazing that you kids are the only thing standing between peace and destruction in your world. Did your parents --"

"Our parents got kidnapped early in the war," Sonic interrupted. "My dad was the first one to go."

"There was another Freedom Fighter group, but they disappeared early on," Maria added. "Sonic and his friends took over as Freedom Fighters themselves when they were five years old and have been a dangerous force to mess with ever since."

Sonic offered a grin. "Yup! It was actually pretty easy."

"Well, then I commend you for stepping up," Cap stated with a nod.

Sonic's grin got wider, and he gave Cap a thumbs-up gesture. "Thanks!" He then looked over at Paul. "Come on -- I've gotta introduce ya to Flash next!"

"Flash?" Paul asked, curious.

But Sonic was already moving to the other side of the hall, so the hedgehog didn't hear what his Pokemon had said. The Pidgeot let out a sigh, shook his head, then took off and followed after his Trainer.

"And you said he was born with that ability?" Cap asked, looking over at Maria.

The Reploid gave a nod. "Yeah. And I don't think anyone has any idea as to why that happened." She scanned the room again, trying to find a familiar face that might add another element to the conversation. "Even I don't know."

"Does that mean the kid's a mutant?"

Maria turned her head, catching sight of Logan walking over with his usual gruff expression, and also wearing a leather jacket, black shirt, and jeans.

Maria shrugged. "Maybe. But they don't have super-powered humans on his planet, so it hasn't really come to anyone's attention."

Logan grunted. "It will. Count on it."

_Bongggg!_

Maria turned sharply when she heard the deep bell tone and started to look around for the source. At one end of the hall, near the doors, she caught sight of Chaos standing next to a large bell, which flash brightly before disappearing. Some sort of extra that the Hands let the Pokemon call upon?

Chaos turned to face the collection of competitors. _"Because the races caused your numbers to be cut so quickly, the Hands have decided to shift to a different approach in the tournament -- especially considering that some of you aren't exactly compatible with cars."_ The Mewtwo looked pointedly in the direction of Thor, who glared back and looked like he was ready to do some pummeling.

 _"So, we will be moving focus to a different style of tournament that will not be removing all of you with such swift judgement,"_ Chaos continued. _"However, what the competition is will not be revealed until tomorrow morning."_

There was a collective grumbling from some members in the crowd, and Logan muttered a curse under his breath himself.

"You're not in it anymore," Maria pointed out to the mutant. "Why are you so interested?"

"Because I want to know what the kids are going to be up to." Logan jabbed a thumb in the direction of a group of figures that were wearing identical black-and-yellow costumes with giant X's on their chests. "If I know, then I can mess with their heads a little." He grinned mischievously.

_"And Logan, if you want to know, you can come and talk to me when I'm done up here."_

The kids Logan had pointed out all looked in their direction and burst out laughing while the mutant stiffened and scowled, releasing a low growl at being surprised.

 _"There is an event planned tonight of which the Hands only just informed me, as well,"_ Chaos continued. _"The meal is going to be arranged very much like a formal dinner party, and you are expected to come without masks or costumes."_

Maria's eyebrows arched in surprise upon hearing the statement, then glanced over at Cap, who looked a little surprised himself.

 _"If you did not bring any sort of formal wear with you, it will be provided for you,"_ Chaos added. _"And that includes you, Maria."_ He looked pointedly at the Reploid, who was suddenly the subject of stares from the other competitors.

Under that pressure, Maria blushed.

Cap gave her a curious look. "Does this have to do with your armor?"

"Probably. I mean, I can't exactly take it off, so...." Maria shrugged. "I just hope I'm not going to look like an idiot wearing whatever-it-is they've got."

 _"Believe me, you will not,"_ Chaos replied calmly. He nodded to the group. _"Dinner will be served shortly. I trust you will be able to get into your formal wear in time."_

With that, Chaos disappeared abruptly in a flash of light.

Those few heroes present exchanged glances and started muttering among themselves. Maria caught sight of Sonic grinning up at the Flash while Paul looked at the Justice League member expectantly.

"I'd better go see what's in my room," Maria muttered to herself.

Cap nodded in agreement. "I didn't expect them to do anything like this, either. I'd better check on my quarters." He started for the warp panel as others in the group started to move. Maria started after him, intent on returning to her own room, as well.

**Time Break**

Come the dinner hour, the entire dining area had changed to look less like a medieval mead hall and more like a place for a royal banquet. The separate tables had been arranged into one complete table again, but the seats were arranged in a moderately random order. People were walking around, greeting each other and conversing in a manner that was usually reserved for rich dinner parties.

At least, _some_ of them had been using their manners.

Chaos had made it a point to kick Bowser and Bowser Jr. out as soon as they had gone after the dinner table and tried to wolf down everything that was there. The Mewtwo had sent food after them.

Most of the contestants had arrived and were starting to sit down when the warp panel in the corner flashed once more, and Maria stepped off it.

Cap -- who happened to be wearing some sort of fancy army uniform -- looked in the direction of the warp panel. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing who had just appeared.

"Hey, Cap," Maria greeted as she walked over in a simple red, knee-length dress with matching red sandals. "Sorry about getting here so late."

"It's fine, Maria," Cap replied, holding up a hand. "I think you got here just in time."

Maria let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good." She looked around the room and caught sight of Stark chatting animatedly with a man who had blond hair and was wearing a green suit. Standing next to him was Bruce Wayne. "So, what do you think of all these people?" She looked back at Cap, then added. "What the heroes look like under the mask, I mean."

"It's certainly a diverse group," the Avenger replied. "Tony and Bruce Wayne seem to have hit it off pretty well." He motioned over to the group Maria had been looking at a second ago. "They've been talking to someone named Oliver Queen about what's been going on in their worlds and what it is that they've had to do in order to adapt."

"Stark and Wayne hitting it off?" Maria did her best to stifle a laugh. "Well, I guess I should have expected it, considering how drastically different Wayne is from his other side."

Cap frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Maria shrugged. "It's just...well...." She looked over at Wayne again. The man was holding a glass of what looked like champagne and looked very calm and collected. "Let's just say that Wayne's got more secrets than Stark will ever be able to get his hands on."

"Excuse me!"

Maria and Cap turned their heads as a man with dark hair and glasses ran over carrying a pen and a notepad. His blue eyes were clearly looking eager.

"I'm Clark Kent, a reporter from the Daily Planet," the man introduced. "Chaos asked me to write up a few things on each of the contestants' hidden identities."

A curious frown came over Maria's face. "What for?"

"He said something about filling out profiles for games that are going to be based off on these events," Clark explained. "Not all of them are going to be shown in all the different worlds -- just in the ones that certain people don't exist in."

"Ah, I see." Maria's face brightened into a smile. "That might not exactly hold with me, though, what with what's happened on my world."

Clark frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" His eyes widened after a moment. "Hang on -- this might be useful for your profile. If you'll just give me your name, age, and home world, then we can get started."

"I'm Maria Carlsdale, and I'm a seventeen-year-old World Jumper from a version of Earth," Maria replied, smirking.

Clark quickly scribbled something, then looked at Maria in surprise. "World Jumper? I haven't heard of that before."

"I didn't really hear about them before last year," Maria replied with a shrug. "All I know about them is that they're supposed to be able to help keep worlds in balance -- at least, that's what _I've_ tried to do. I haven't really run into others who are more experienced yet."

"So you've met other World Jumpers, I'm guessing."

"Yup." Maria put her hands behind her head the same way that Sora usually did. "The only other Jumpers that I know of are my sister and one of my neighbors. But they got the title either the same time I did or some time after." She shrugged again. "It's kinda because of some events that happened not too long ago that caused us to be known by about everybody else in our neighborhood, so I've had to deal with a lot of unwanted attention for the past couple of weeks."

"Really?" Clark Kent looked surprised. "What happened?"

"It involved a guy that I'd beaten before trying to get his revenge. I got called away to another world and he started dragging kids from my world to his. My sister and my neighbor ended up being a big help to them since I couldn't make it."

Clark nodded, then did some more rapid scribbling. As he wrote he said, "And your abilities -- what are they?"

"I've got control over fire," Maria replied, dropping her arms from the back of her head. She glanced over at Cap, who seemed to be watching what was going on around them more than the reporter. "I used to have a staff that let me access other elements, as well, but that ended up getting morphed into a Buster cannon that's housed in my right arm. Dr. Light also added boosters to my systems so that I can fly for short lengths of time, but it takes a lot out of me."

Clark gave an absent nod as he finished writing in his notepad. "OK, thanks." Then he paused and looked at Maria in surprise. "Systems? But you look like a human."

"I used to be, but I ran into a bit of an accident with a robot and had to be turned into one in order for me to keep on living. As for the _looking_ human bit, I'm actually wearing a lot of armor from the base of my neck down to my feet. It's all hidden thanks to a hologram generator of sorts that Dr. Light installed."

" _Oh_. That makes sense." Clark made one final note in his notepad, then turned to a new page and adjusted his glasses before turning to look at Cap. "And you are?"

"Captain Steve Rodgers," the Avenger replied. "And yes, that's my actual army rank, despite the fact that I am also Captain America."

Clark's open mouth snapped shut, and Maria had to suppress a laugh at the reporter's befuddled expression.

"OK, I guess that settles that," Clark muttered to himself. He looked between Maria and Cap for a long moment before finally looking back at the Avenger. "And I heard from Stark that you fought in your version of World War II."

Cap gave a nod. "That's right."

"How did you manage to...well, stay young?"

"I was trapped in ice up in the North Pole for over fifty years," Cap replied shortly. "I had to crash land a plane so that it couldn't be used by the Red Skull or Hydra to escalate the war even further than it had already gone."

Clark's scribbling paused. "Red Skull and Hydra...?" He looked up from his notepad at Cap. "Those are villains exclusive to your world."

Maria noticed that it wasn't a question. Then she saw Cap looking in her direction.

"You'd probably be able to explain it better than I could," the Avenger stated.

Maria looked surprised at the statement. "Me? You were there."

"Your world was able to see _both_ sides of the conflict; I only saw one."

Maria held up her hands to ward off the look Cap was giving her. "All right, all right. I'll explain."

Clark turned his attention back to her, his pen hovering mere centimeters from the paper.

"Hydra was originally the scientific branch for Hitler's little Nazi spiel," Maria started. "It was led by a man who _came_ to be known as the Red Skull mainly because a serum that was supposed to create super soldiers had something go wrong and made his entire head look like a...well, a red skull. This guy was _nuts_ \-- he spent most of his time looking into mythological weapons from Norse tales that most people didn't believe."

"Since Thor's here, I'm guessing he proved that wrong," Clark guessed, pausing in his writing to look up and push his glasses up his nose.

"Exactly. Red Skull ended up finding an item called the Tesseract -- a powerful cube that gave off _tons_ of energy. He used it to create a lot of dangerous weapons that could vaporize a person in a second. Course, the US didn't exactly figure out about _that_ until later, after Captain Rodgers came onto the playing field." Maria looked up at the mentioned Avenger. "He knows what happened better than I do -- he was there, after all."

"I can cover my origins later," Cap replied in passing.

Clark gave a nod, not looking up from his notepad. "And Red Skull and Hydra were _just_ a part of World War II?"

"Eh...." Maria looked up at Cap. " _Are_ they still causing trouble where you are? Because there are a couple alternate dimensions that have major problems with those myth-hunters."

Cap frowned upon hearing this, his blue eyes darkening. "I haven't heard anything from them since the problem we had with Loki and the alien invasion. If they _are_ still in my world, then they've been biding their time since the war."

Clark frowned, pausing in his writing. Then he let out a sigh, slid the pen into the spiraled wire that kept his notepad together, then took off his glasses and looked up at Cap.

"I'd suggest keeping your guard up, then," the reporter stated seriously. "Sometimes, your worst enemies can pop up when you least expect them to."

"You sound like you have experience," Cap noted.

Clark smiled wryly. "Not so much me as Superman and the other members of the Justice League. Old villains have come up so often there's a rumor going around that they've made a...syndicate of sorts to keep each other going. I doubt it, though."

"Never underestimate your opponent," Maria remarked. "Unless they are so bad at teamwork that it's a wonder they're still around."

"Even then, don't underestimate them," Clark replied seriously. He glanced back at the dining table, where it looked like most of the contestants had already sat down. "Looks like we're going to miss dinner unless we go sit down now." He looked back at Cap and Maria. "Thanks for the interview."

"It was no problem," Maria replied with a smile.

The trio moved over to the dining table and took three of the four empty places. Clark, who sat a good distance away from Cap and Maria, was soon joined by a woman with dark hair and a pass hanging around her neck that said "PRESS" in bright red letters.

"Who exactly is he?" Cap asked as he sat down as Maria did the same.

The Reploid looked at the Avenger in surprise, her blue eyes darkening in curiosity. "You mean you didn't see a resemblance with another hero?"

"Well, I have my suspicions, but I want to know what you think."

Maria smirked. "Your thoughts first; then I'll tell you if you're right of wrong."

"All right. I think he's Superman."

Maria's smirk turned into a grin. "You hit it right on the nose. Clark Kent is Superman." She turned her brown-haired head and looked down the table at the mentioned reporter. "The Hands must've figured it might be a good idea to get profiles together using someone adapt at that kind of thing."

"But then...." Cap frowned. "He wouldn't write a profile on _himself_ , would he?"

"He might, he might not." Maria looked back at Cap and motioned with her head towards the two reporters sitting down the table. "See the woman sitting next to him? That's Lois Lane, another reporter from his world. If Supes isn't going to write his own profile, she'll probably take care of that."

A look of understanding came over Cap's face, and he gave a nod before turning his attention to the meal. Maria quickly did the same.

**Spacial Break**

Bowser and his youngest son were snoring loud enough to wake the dead when a shadowy figure crept into their room and looked around in disgust at the mess that had been left in the Koopas' wake. It looked like a food fight had taken place in this castle-like chamber -- which, considering whose room this was, may as well have happened during their secluded dinner meal.

The intruder moved carefully around what looked like it used to be a cheese soufflé and nearly had to dance around the remains of a salad in order to get to the lump-covered bed. A single hand moved towards the cover and tore it off before the other grabbed at the figure underneath.

The figure that was grabbed started to squirm and whine, causing the larger body that lay there to shift and growl. Large eyes snapped open and glared at the intruder with a dangerous ferocity.

The intruder removed his hands from the bed and the smaller figure's stomach and backed up. Bowser stood up on the bed, carefully stepping around his son as he glared down at the intruder.

The Koopa King leapt towards the intruder, snarling.

There was a purple flash right before Bowser landed on top of the intruder, and Bowser landed on the remains of the cheese soufflé.

The enraged father got to his feet, still growling as he looked around for the intruder.

Unfortunately, the figure was gone, leaving Bowser to return his attention to his son, who had a look of pain on his face.


	11. Chapter 11

Maria received a rather rude awakening by getting rolled out of bed and hitting the floor with her face.

Now, for anyone else, they would have woken up while they were falling. Maria's systems didn't fully register what had happened until her nose got slammed into the carpet.

The Reploid scrambled to her feet, rubbing her nose and scowling at the two intruders in her room with annoyance in her blue eyes.

"A shake of my shoulder would have been more than enough," she growled. She quickly looked over her armor to make sure that nothing had been dented accidentally, but there was no damage.

The blue hedgehog wearing a green space suit and matching helmet with a visor gave a slight nod. "We'll keep that in mind." He looked at his companion -- a purple chameleon in a similar outfit. "Found anything?"

The chameleon shook his head. "No. This kid's clean, even if she's looking up stuff she shouldn't." He held up Maria's tablet with two fingers. "I found proof on this that there's stories in here that she's been reading that really should be off-limits to this one."

Maria's eyes widened. "Hey! Be careful with that! I don't want to come back from this and find that the glass is cracked!" She snatched the device away from the chameleon and put it back on the nightstand before looking back at her visitors. "And what do you mean by stories I shouldn't be reading? FanFiction's always been a free-for-all."

"It's not that so much as there's a section of this that you shouldn't be able to access," the chameleon replied patiently. "You didn't run into these things before, did you?"

Maria paused to consider this. The Zone Cop _is_ kind of right, she noted. I haven't run into this before, and I've been through most -- if not all -- of the "Cartoons" section of  FanFiction.net.

"No, I haven't seen it before a few nights ago," Maria admitted, "but I didn't really think much of it besides the fact a lot of terms, names, and descriptions of characters were missing. What does it mean?"

"It could mean anything," the hedgehog replied. "We'll let you go on this -- you didn't know the regulations that had been set in place, but I wouldn't recommend looking for those stories again." He looked around the room again. "We do have a couple other questions that we'd like to ask you."

"Questions?" Maria blinked. "Sure. Go ahead. Breakfast probably isn't going to be open for another couple of minutes, anyway." She glanced over at the warp panel, which wasn't glowing its usual bright yellow.

"When you reached the dining hall last night, did you see Bowser and Bowser Jr.?"

Maria blinked, then frowned and shook her head. "No. I got there later than everybody else because I was trying to figure out a few things about my Light Refractor system. Brendan told me they got kicked out because they honed in on the food and started to eat like a pair of Snorlax."

The blue hedgehog gave a nod. "And what did you do as soon as the party was done?"

"I actually left a little early because I didn't think the adults would want to discuss whatever they found the need to while a seventeen-year-old was around," Maria replied. "I came here, shut my Refractor down, ran through a few stories I'd been following for a couple months, read through Exodus in this --" She tapped the red cover of her book "--before I settled down to recharge for the night."

The hedgehog and the chameleon looked at each other. Maria frowned slightly.

"Is there any reason why you wanted to know?" the Reploid asked.

The hedgehog eyed the chameleon for a moment before returning his attention back to Maria. "There's been an accident involving the Koopa King and his son. Bowser says that his son was attacked and had his energy drained by a figure that looked like they had armor. They disappeared in a purple flash before he could get to them."

At the back of Maria's head, there was a gasp. _*No...they can't shrink down to human size on a regular basis.... Is it one of Frankenstein's experiments?*_

Maria ignored it, despite how curious she was as to what it was that Inferno was saying. What interested her more was the fact that Bowser and his youngest son had been attacked.

"Energy drainage and teleportation?" Maria asked, frowning. "I'm not aware of anyone who has abilities like that. As for the armor...well, it certainly wasn't me. I've only got fire abilities and my Buster cannon." She held up her right arm as though that was proof enough.

"Is there anyone that _might_ have abilities like this?" the chameleon pressed. "We weren't called in for nothing."

"Hmmm...." Maria frowned, thinking back to what she knew. "Well, if it is any help, either there's an energy vampire running around, or there's a robot who has that ability...but I doubt you're going to find him among the contestants, considering that I haven't seen him around recently."

"Who do you suspect?" the hedgehog asked.

"He's...well, he used to be one of Wily's bots." Maria bit her lower lip nervously when she said the evil scientist's name. "His name's Bass, like 'bass guitar', and he's one of the bots who went over to the good side just because Wily wasn't giving him all that many challenges. We've met before, but again -- I haven't seen him here. Plus, he's kind of one of the good guys, so I doubt that's who you guys would be looking for." Maria shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea who it could be other than that."

The chameleon and the hedgehog looked at each other again, then looked back at the Reploid and gave a nod.

"We appreciate your help," the hedgehog stated. "Keep your guard up -- you never know when this...'energy vampire' is going to strike again."

Maria gave a nod. "Right." A frown came over her face. "Is Bowser Jr. OK, though?"

"The little Koopa is fine," the chameleon replied. "Bowser requested a one-way trip home so that he could take care of his son, and demanded that he gets the criminal's head when we find him."

"That might be a bit difficult," Maria noted, frowning.

"I believe a copy will suit his needs." The blue hedgehog gave a sly smile, then walked out of Maria's room with the chameleon in tow.

A moment later, the gray warp panel started humming, and yellow light burst out if it. The monitor next to it also flickered to life.

A PokeBall came flying onto the screen and bounced into the lower-right corner before popping open, releasing the text of the following message:

_"Good morning, Trainers!_

_"Today we delve into the depths of the world that is known as Neo-Mobius in the Pokemon realm and enact our very own mini-tournament! It can either be a free-for-all or a Double Battle with your partner -- you get to decide! Just make sure that your team is well rounded!"_

As soon as Maria was done reading this, the text turned red and shifted around, adding, _"No matter what team you choose, you're going to have to include the Pokemon you took when you were in the Spacial Rift Dungeon. It can be the final form, if you wish, but be careful -- some Pokemon can pack stronger punches in their other forms."_

With that, the text turned red again and disappeared into the PokeBall, which rolled off-screen.

Maria blinked. "Well, if that don't beat all...."

_*Nice of them to do that. The only Vulpix you've got is a little hot-headed kid who doesn't want to listen to his mummy*_

"Inferno, you don't need to be sarcastic," Maria grumbled. She walked over to the nightstand and picked up a rectangular device with a PokeBall on it. "Something tells me I might need this."

_*No, really?*_

"Inferno, enough already!" Maria started towards the warp panel. "Did you really _have_ to wait until now to finally start talking to me in a full conversation?"

_*You didn't need me around -- I was just watching all the fun. Like I will today*_

Inferno's chuckling faded into the back of Maria's mind, and she couldn't help but let out a growl of annoyance as she stepped onto the warp panel and into the dining hall.

The tables were still strung together into one long banquet table, but no one really seemed to find that as a limitation -- most of the figures (mainly Sonic and Flash) had snagged plates off the table and just ran around, grabbing food at random places and talking to those around them like they were old friends...or they were just looking for trouble. Maria wasn't exactly sure which it was, but she could tell that the two were definitely having fun.

Maria ended up finding herself a seat next to Rock, who looked somewhat shaken.

"Zonic ask you stuff, too?" Maria guessed, looking over at the blue-eyed bot.

"Huh?" Rock looked up from his plate and over at Maria, then gave a nod. "Yeah. I can't believe that someone would try to do that to a fellow contestant -- even if they weren't competing."

"It is troublesome," agreed a figure sitting on the other side of the table -- Blues, who was sitting next to Keith. "And if they're still running around, then it's likely that they'll strike again." The Robot Master's fingers drummed against the table. "I don't like it."

"You're not the only one," the midnight-blue hedgehog agreed. Keith looked around the room. "I mean, we took out pretty much every single villain there is in the place. Is it possible that one of them snuck back?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Blues responded, his sunglasses bending into a frown. "Something tells me that they may strike soon, what with this new tournament that we're stepping into."

"What makes you think that?" Maria asked, frowning. She looked down at her PokeDex, fingering the rectangular device. "If they end up striking in the middle of the tournament, then they may end up with a nasty surprise from the teams we'll be able to assemble." A mischievous smirk came over Maria's face. "At least, they'll get a nasty surprise from _me_."

Rock and Blues both looked at least somewhat confused, but Keith gained a sinister grin himself.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." The midnight-blue hedgehog motioned towards the rectangular device that was still in Maria's hand. "You've been to my world before, and you've gathered up more than enough Pokemon to make your own tournament against yourself."

"Really?" Rock looked at Maria in surprise. "How's that even possible?"

"I was turned into a Pokemon there and made a lot of friends," Maria replied lightly. "After I was turned back into a human, I made even more friends on that side of the world. It wasn't really too difficult."

"How strong are these creatures?" Blues asked.

"They've been training themselves for some time now, so...." Maria took a moment to consider her Pokemon teams from multiple regions and their possible progress. "Basically, most of them getting close to their max strengths, but they're not quite there yet. There are at least...twenty Pokemon at their max? It's kind of been a while since I checked on them, so I'm not exactly sure as to how strong every single one of them is."

Rock looked shocked at the idea that Maria was letting her Pokemon run rampant and train without her keeping her eye on them, but Blues seemed to take the statements in as though he had heard them before.

Blues gave a nod. "I see. The message didn't tell us how we were to gain access to the Pokemon we were going to use, so if Chaos doesn't inform us, would it be possible for me to choose my team from among yours?"

"I don't see why not," Maria replied with a slight shrug. "Just be warned, though -- I might not have all the Pokemon that have been discovered on Neo-Mobius. A friend of mine told me that they discovered a new Type while I was gone."

"They did," Keith confirmed. "The guy who discovered it, Professor Augustine Sycamore of Kalos, called it the Fairy-Type. There aren't very many of them yet, but they've turned Type match-ups on their heads."

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good."

There was a _whoosh!_ of wind, and Sonic was standing to Maria's left in an instant.

"It isn't," the blue speedster stated. "Fairies aren't affected by Dragons _at all,_ some Pokemon have now been called _part_ Fairy, and they're only weak to Steel and Poison while they're strong against Dragons and Dark-Types!" Sonic shook his head. "Magenta really lost it when Drake lost to a little cotton candy machine."

"A cotton candy machine?" Maria raised an eyebrow. "Well then. I'll have to ask Pika about them. Maybe he's found some of them."

"Knowing him?" Sonic smirked. "He probably already _has_." With that, the hedgehog sped off to a different section of the table.

"So, you have connections in other worlds," Blues noted.

Maria nodded. "I've made a lot of friends because of what I've done in other places." She gained a sheepish smile. "Course, I haven't exactly been to that many worlds, so my connections haven't spread that far...yet."

Blues inclined his head. "You plan to spread to other worlds?"

Maria shrugged. "Maybe. It's kind of going to depend on what worlds need my help."

_"Greetings, challengers!"_

Those who were running around stopped and dashed for the nearest seats while the others looked over to the head of the table, where Chaos was now standing.

 _"While a tragic event has occurred here the previous night, we must continue on with the tournament,"_ the Mewtwo stated. _"Today, we turn from races and towards a battle style from my world. Some of you are familiar with this, but most of you will have to learn on the run, so to speak."_ Chaos gave a wry smile. _"Today we will be running a miniature Pokemon Tournament."_

"Whoo-hoo!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air.

 _"Before you get_ too _excited,"_ Chaos continued, sending a look in the hedgehog's direction, _"I am going to lay some ground rules. First, you must have a Pokemon from the evolutionary line you became at the beginning of the tournament. Second, Pokemon working as competitors must make the choice to either play the part of the Trainer or a part of the Pokemon team itself. You must decide before you form your teams, so choose wisely."_

"Right," a certain Pikachu muttered.

 _"Thirdly, Battle Partners will join together in Double Battles, where four Trainers will face off against each other."_ Chaos finished. _"Otherwise, it's a complete free-for-all, every Battler for themselves."_

"Where is everybody going to get their teams?" Brendan suddenly called out. "I mean, Black and I already have teams on us, and Maria's _probably_ got her PokeDex to call the rest of her team--"

"Guilty as charged!" Maria called back, holding up the mentioned rectangular device.

"--but no one else has had any access to the Pokemon on Neo-Mobius," the Hoenn Trainer finished.

 _"Thank you for reminding me, Brendan,"_ Chaos stated, giving a nod to the green-eyed teenager. Returning his attention to the rest of those assembled, he stated, _"Before I direct you to where you can locate your teams, there are a few other rules imposed by the world itself for this sort of situation. No Legendary Pokemon are allowed except for the case of Thor and others who were transformed into Legendaries while within the Mystery Dungeon. Also, no matter what level of Pokemon you choose, they will be reduced to Level 50, but keep the same attacks they had at their previous level."_

"The usual Battle Frontier scenario," Maria noted. "All right. I can work with that." She turned her attention to her PokeDex and activated it before moving to PC access. A moment later, her eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened in surprise.

"What is it?" Rock asked, looking over at the Reploid.

"Well, Pika's definitely been busy. My Dex has seventy more entries than it did last time I looked all the way through it." Maria looked up the midnight-blue hedgehog. "That's from the Kalos Region you mentioned, isn't it?"

Keith nodded. "There are some pretty interesting Pokemon there. You should have a look around."

"Maybe later. I've got a team to build." Maria scrolled back up to the Kanto section of the Dex and found a white creature with nine tails tipped with orange. As soon as she touched the icon, it glowed white and came flying off the screen and to a spot next to Maria.

"Nina the Ninetales, reporting for duty!" the Pokemon exclaimed as soon as it materialized.

"At ease, Nina!" Maria replied, laughing as she turned to look at the white, fox-like Pokemon. "We're not going to be fighting for a little bit yet."

The Fire-Type blinked for a moment, then let out a purr and sat down, her nine white tails curling around her front paws. Nina looked up at the Reploid in awe. "Maria! You _have_ changed!"

"Yeah, but so have you," Maria replied, looking at the Ninetales. Green text moved across her vision, bringing back information from automatic scans of the Pokemon in front of her. "Level 86, too -- you're stronger than I am as a Vulpix!"

Nina looked _really_ pleased upon hearing that. She raised her head high as the purring got louder.

 _"As demonstrated by Maria, there is a device that will allow you to call on Pokemon and summon them from their world,"_ Chaos stated. _"I can provide you with others, each having access to different Pokemon from the Exploration Team PokeExplore. You need not worry -- there are more than enough Pokemon of each species that you will be able to choose them ten times over. But please, do not do that, because you are only allowed six Pokemon in a team and it is good to be diverse."_

"He's got that right," Keith agreed. A moment later, there was a flash above his head, and a rectangular device similar to Maria's fell onto the table in front of him. Other than the purple design, it was completely identical. Not too long after, other PokeDexes started to fall onto the table in front of the other contestants.

Maria scrolled through her own Dex's entries, considering multiple scenarios where she had to face against Pokemon of all kinds -- including the brand-new Fairy-Type. Adding in the no-Legendary (except for Thor) rule, and she quickly started to narrow down which Pokemon would actually be useful.

"OK, I need five more Pokemon that will be able to help Nina," Maria muttered, "and I may need that Fairy-Type. Let's see...." She skipped straight to the end of the Dex entries and started to investigate each of the Pokemon that had been added. It didn't take her long to find one that interested her.

Another white flash came out of Maria's Dex, turning into a red and white sphere with a pink ribbon on the upper half. Maria caught it before it fell to the floor.

 _"As an extra precaution, only the Pokemon that you are a part of the evolutionary line for will appear and be publicly seen,"_ Chaos added. _"The other Pokemon will come out in their respective PokeBalls, which are the usual ways that a Trainer transports their team."_

"Smart," Keith noted. He rubbed the head of the Pokemon next to him -- a wolf-like creature with blue fur coming down its back into a black-tipped ponytail. "Looks like we're going to be working together. I'm Keith -- what's your name?"

"Shinobi," the Pokemon replied. He inclined his head, and the Zoroark's snout parted into a toothy grin. "It's good to see you again, Trainer Vulpix."

Maria gave a nod. "The same to you." She smirked. "You do realize that the two of us could end up meeting on opposite ends of the battle."

"I do. I look forward to the time when we will meet." The Zoroark gave a bow.

"The same goes for me."

Maria turned her head upon hearing the new voice. Her eyes widened a moment later when she saw the Pokemon hovering next to Blues -- a sword with two strips of purple cloth coming out from under the hilt, almost like arms, one of which was holding onto a shield with three circles welded onto it.

"And you are?" Maria asked cautiously.

"I am Saber, the Aegislash of Mt. Steel," the sword replied in male tones. His one eye blinked in a calm manner. "It is an honor to meet the one who leads the Guild side by side with the Electric Mouse."

"I apologize for staring, but..." Maria made an embarrassed noise. "I haven't seen a Pokemon like you before."

"It is understandable. Even as a Honedge, I was considered unusual by most. Pokemon native to the region of Kalos seem to have been gaining such attention as of late." Saber gave a bow. "I look forward to seeing what a Trainer of your caliber is capable of."

"And I look forward to see what a Pokemon of your caliber is capable of," Maria replied with a nod.

Rock looked between Maria and the Pokemon present in amazement. "Whoa. Are you always this polite to your Pokemon?"

"They're friends and allies," Maria replied. She reached over with a free hand and patted Nina on top of her head, causing the Ninetales to purr again. "Pokemon like Nina here I won over with the polite request for a spar. Usually, others were so surprised by what a Vulpix could do that they ended up joining as soon as we were done, but others needed more...persuasion."

Nina chuckled, as though she knew exactly what Maria was talking about. Then she looked up at Maria and asked, "Are you going to fill out the rest of the team? Because I don't want to be one of two." She sent a pointed look at the PokeBall with the ribbon, which Maria was holding in the same hand as the PokeDex.

Maria looked over at the mentioned devices and gave a nod. "Right. I think I know who I want on the rest of the team." She placed the PokeBall on the table, then started to scroll rapidly through the entires, much like everyone else was doing. Within minutes, white orbs were flying out of multiple PokeDexes across the table.

After about ten minutes, Maria looked up from her PokeDex and grabbed the five PokeBalls that had appeared on the table in front of her. "Well, that's that." She grinned down at Nina. "Now we just need the tournament to be set up, and we can go in and take these guys out."

The Ninetales nodded in agreement, grinning. "I can't wait!" ****


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Maria took in a breath of fresh air and grinned as she listened to the crowd cheering. It may have only been Chao, Goombas, and members of Toad's mushroom kind, but the noise invigorated her all the same.

After all, she'd been to Pokemon Colosseums before. The only difference here was that she wasn't fighting just Trainers from Neo-Mobius.

Nina's tails twitched as she sat down at one end of the battlefield in the stadium. The Ninetales looked clearly impatient, as were the other members of Maria's team; even though they were in their PokeBalls, Maria could tell just by looking through the red halves of the spheres.

The Reploid's blue eyes moved over the belt that she had thrown over one shoulder and wrapped around under her shoulder. The five PokeBalls that were there had different pictures on the front, letting the Trainer know which Type was in which Ball: a pink bow; a lightning bolt over a large water drop; a rock with what looked like a dragon's face carved into it; a steel beam with a fist in the center; and a giant leaf under a drop of what looked like purple water (however, anyone else might have claimed that it was poison).

Satisfied that everything was in order, Maria looked over to the other side of the stadium and watched for the person who was going to be her challenger. The brown-haired girl was in her element and had already taken down Amy the Hedgehog, who had nearly kicked her out of the running were it not for the sixth member of the Reploid's team.

 **"Our next 3-on-3 battle: Maria White vs. Tony Stark!"** exclaimed a rather enthusiastic announcer. The crowd of miniature figures cheered in response.

"Iron Man?" Maria asked in surprise, blinking. A smirk came across her face a moment later. "Well, this is going to be interesting."

"What makes you say that?" Nina asked, looking up at her Trainer.

"Tony was a Metang in Spacial Rift," Maria replied, looking down at the Ninetales. "Depending on what he chose around that, we might have an easy advantage this match."

The Ninetales, upon hearing this, gave a sly smirk. "I'd enjoy that, especially after facing that hedgehog's Seadra."

On the other side of the battle arena, there was a swirl of red and yellow energy that spiraled up out of nowhere before bursting outward like an exploding cocoon. Where the energy had been a moment before, Stark now stood wearing a leather jacket and jeans. Behind him was a large, four-legged metal creature with a silver X across the front of its face.

"Meta the Metagross," Maria remarked with a nod. "Nice choice."

"Thanks!" Stark called back. A large grin could be clearly seen on his face. "I can't wait to see the look on your face when I beat you!"

"I'm afraid you're not going to _see_ that face," Maria replied, grinning. She looked over at the short podium, where a figure stood with flags in his hands. "I think we're good to go, Brock!"

The teenager with a deep tan gave a nod. "Get going, then! I don't think you two have all day!"

"You got that right!" Maria replied, laughing. She looked down at Nina, who looked up at her Trainer. "You're up!"

"Right!" Nina dashed forward and stood in front of Maria, glaring at Stark.

Stark simply sent a look back at Meta, and the Psychic/Steel-Type moved around the Avenger and stood on the battlefield, looking down at the Fire-Type in front of him.

"Begin!" Brock called.

"Flamethrower!" Maria called out instantly.

"Don't let it get close," Stark responded lazily. "At all."

Instantly, the blue bubble of a Protect appeared around Meta, and the Flamethrower bounced off and into a nearby wall. When the attack hit, the Protect wavered, but only slightly.

Maria's eyes narrowed. "Faint Attack."

Nina seemingly vanished from sight, but if one looked closely enough, they could see a white blur moving around the Protect shield, looking for a weak spot. A moment later, the blue bubble disappeared, and Nina rammed into one of Meta's legs.

"Close range Flamethrower!" Maria called out.

"Blast it away!" Stark called back, making an elaborate wave with one arm. He looked like he didn't really care what was going on, but Maria got the feeling that the truth was the exact opposite.

Nina's head reared back, and she let loose a stream of flame that bathed Meta's leg and worked its way up his body. The Metagross let out a roar in response, and his silver "X" starting to glow. Within moments, Nina found herself lifted into the air, then thrown down with her snout to the ground first.

"Ow," Nina snarled as she started to get to her feet.

"Inferno -- let's finish it off!" Maria ordered.

"Earth--"

Stark was too late to give an order; a large, blazing tornado came bursting up almost out of nowhere and engulfed the Psychic/Steel-Type fully. Even though the combatants could only see a silhouette, they could see that the Metagross had collapsed.

As the Inferno cleared up, Brock exclaimed, "Metagross is unable to battle! The winner of his round is Ninetales!"

"Ha!" Maria grinned in triumph while Nina threw her head back and let out a howl of delight. "One down, two to go!"

Stark scowled, then grabbed a PokeBall from out of nowhere and returned Meta to its confines; Maria wondered if his Starter had fainted before, as Nina's ball hadn't shown up yet. A moment later, Stark had grabbed another Ball from the belt around his waist and tossed it out into the arena, releasing the next Pokemon on his team.

A large, machine-like Pokemon made of blue and brown materials landed on the ground, causing the entire area to shake momentarily.

Maria's eyes narrowed. "My Golurk. I should've known he'd go for a Pokemon like that." It only took her a moment to call up the data on the Unova Pokemon using her own memories. "Ground and Ghost.... Nina, pull back!"

The Ninetales looked back at the Trainer, gave a nod, then moved back and sat down next to the Reploid.

Maria then grabbed one of the PokeBalls from her belt -- the water drop with the lightning bolt. "All right, Loki! Time for your mischief!"

Stark became startled as the PokeBall exploded, releasing the creature inside. " _Loki?"_

"Well, I had to call my Rotom _something,"_ Maria replied. She nodded to the orange box that now hovered in front of her, a pipe running from the back and around the front, two electric arms holding onto the other end. "Hit Mecha with a Hydro Pump!"

The possessed washing machine let out a cackle. "With pleasure!"

The pipe Loki was holding suddenly developed a large bulge that moved from where the pipe connected to the washing machine and towards the open end. A rattling noise followed before a large amount of water came blasting out and slammed into the Golurk's chest.

Mecha stumbled back a step, then regained his balance.

"Hit that thing with a ThunderPunch!" Stark ordered.

"Move -- use your speed!"

Mecha clenched his right fist and brought it forward, but Loki simply cackled and flew around the attack, leaving the fist to slam into the ground with a _zap!_ and the smell of ozone.

Loki flew above the Golurk's head and cackled, his lightning-bolt arms moving and slamming together to mimic clapping. "Awesome! Too bad it missed!"

"Focus, Loki!" Maria called back. "Finish him off with a Shadow Ball!"

The possessed washing machine stiffened and gave a mock salute, grinning stupidly. "Yes, Ma'am!"

The Rotom held the pipe over Mecha's head and fired a mass of purple-black energy. It hit the back of the Ground/Ghost-Type's head, and his glowing blue eyes flickered for a moment before they completely faded out.

"Golurk has fainted; the winner is Rotom!" Brock called, motioning with a flag towards Maria.

Maria raised a fist to the sky, grinning. "Nice job, Loki!"

The Washer Rotom cackled upon hearing his Trainer's praise. "Ha ha! That old coot of a robot was no match for me!"

Stark was starting to look _really_ annoyed, now. The Avenger gritted his teeth as he returned the Golurk and grabbed another PokeBall. He tossed it out, releasing a blue, red, and white dragon, who let out a roar as soon as his feet hit the ground.

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "Salamis, eh? Not a bad choice." She held out Loki's PokeBall and promptly returned the possessed washer, then grabbed the PokeBall with the pink ribbon on it. "I haven't had a chance to test Silvia out yet."

Maria threw the PokeBall out, releasing a pink, four-legged Pokemon with large ears and ribbons flowing from a large bow on her neck.

The Eeveelution looked up at the dragon in front of her and smirked, tail twitching in anticipation.

"Hello again, Salamis," the Sylveon greeted coolly. "About time we met again, huh?"

"That thing is what you're going to be putting against us?" Stark demanded with a laugh. "Salamence, hit that thing with a Flamethrower!"

"With pleasure!" Salamis reared his head back, fire starting to come out from either side of his jaw as he prepared to fire.

Maria quickly went through her own data and found the exact move that would work well for Silvia.

"Moonblast!"

The Fairy-Type Pokemon crouched down, her ears sticking straight up as a sphere of pink and white energy formed between them. Then she leapt up and went into a forward flip, sending the ball of energy flying.

At the same time, Salamis released his Flamethrower attack.

The flames and the energy sphere hit each other in the center of the battlefield, the fire pushing on the energy in order to get past it and scorch Silvia. However, it didn't quite get there -- the energy suddenly seemed to gain a burst more, and it plowed right through the Flamethrower and hit Salamis smack in the face with a great explosion and a cloud of smoke.

Salamis seemed to totter for a moment; the dragon might have held his position but it didn't seem like there was much hope in it. Seconds later, the Salamence crashed to the ground, knocked out.

"Salamence has fainted. The winner is Sylveon and Maria!" Brock called.

"All right!" Maria declared, grinning as she did a fist pump.

Stark scowled, then threw Salamis' PokeBall down on the ground. As the PokeBall hit the ground, the Salamence returned to it, and Stark threw his hands in the air.

"I can't believe this," the Avenger muttered. "I was beaten by a kid!"

"I wouldn't say 'kid' so much as 'Pokemon Champion of six regions'," Maria replied. She got down on her knees and motioned for Silvia to come over. "Hey, you're really strong."

"Thanks, Maria," the Sylveon murmured. "It means a lot, coming from you."

"And I mean it," Maria responded. "Take a quick rest; I don't think we're going to be done here yet."

"Right."

Maria quickly returned Silvia to her PokeBall, then got up to her feet and looked over at Stark. "You made good choices; those Pokemon are all strong in their own ways; you just have to watch out for the Type match-ups and figure out now to use them to your advantage."

"Sure," Stark muttered in reply. He turned and stomped off the arena and out of sight.

Maria let out a sigh as she watched the Avenger walk off, then she looked down at the Ninetales sitting next to her. "Well, we've knocked out at least four people now. I wonder what's going to happen next."

Nina gave a nod. "Another fight with one guy, maybe."

"Not so much one as two."

Maria turned and looked behind her, frowning when she caught sight of a familiar figure walking towards her from an opening below the stands.

"Hey, Cap," Maria greeted. "Are we doing a Double Battle now?"

"Looks that way," the red, white, and blue Avenger replied.

"I just took out Stark without any problems. You?"

"That spiky-haired boy named Sora nearly took us out," came another's voice.

Maria looked around Cap, catching sight of a familiar swamp creature standing behind the Avenger. "Hey, Bog. Long time, no see. Things going well for you?"

The Swampert gave a nod. "Yes. Rodgers explained to me what he knew of the basics. It helped when it came down to me and Bolt facing off against each other."

"The Flying Pikachu?"

"The very same."

"Well, then." Maria looked impressed. "I wonder if he did that on purpose."

**"The next match will be a Doubles Round! Maria White and Captain America vs. Blues and Keith!"**

Maria's eyes widened as soon as she heard this, and she looked across the arena towards where their two mentioned opponents would soon be standing. "Oh, boy."

"Something wrong?" Cap asked, frowning.

"Not really, no." Maria shook her head and returned her attention to the Avenger. "It's just that I've kind of become a close friend to the both of them -- Keith as a helper to get him used to being a Trainer, and Blues was a mentor to me. The fact that I have to go against them both...." Maria shook her head again. "This is going to be challenging."

"Maybe, maybe not," Cap replied. "It all depends on what Pokemon they have."

"Well, I know Keith's got a Zoroark, and that's weak to Fighting and Fairy-Types," Maria remarked. "Blues has an Aegislash, which looks like it's at least part Steel...." The Reploid shrugged. "I have Pokemon that are good against both, but I'm not sure about the rest of them."

"I think we'll find out soon." Cap pointed over at the other side of the arena. "Look."

Maria turned her blue-eyed gaze towards the other side of the arena, and she caught sight of two bright flashes -- one seeming to come down from the sky, the other just simply appearing on the ground. A moment later, the light faded, revealing a midnight-blue hedgehog and a humanoid figure wearing red and gray armor, with a helmet over his head and sunglasses covering his eyes.

Maria's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing the other pair. She moved face the two of them directly and gave a slight nod.

Blues gave a nod in return, then glanced at the shield-toting sword behind him. As if they had sent a mental command, Saber moved to stand -- well, hover -- in front of the prototype Robot Master. A moment later, something dashed out from behind Keith, and it looked like a Floatzel.

Maria looked over at Nina and and made a motion with her head; the Ninetales was in front of the blue-eyed Reploid in a moment. Bog didn't need any sort of encouragement; he just walked in front of Cap and sat down in front of the Avenger.

 _*So, this is what it comes down to....*_ came Inferno's voice. _*Let's see what happens here, with a couple tutored and experienced Trainers hanging around*_

 _Inferno, I do_ not _appreciate statements made from the peanut gallery,_ Maria thought back in a sour manner. _You mind shutting up while I take care of this?_

_*Fine, fine*_

"All right. The Double battle between Blues and Keith and Maria and Cap will now begin!" Brock called out.

The crowd of mini-monsters let out a cheer, but Maria had already issued a command before they could get themselves into a fever pitch.

"Flamethrower on the sword!" Maria roared, pointing at the Aegislash.

"Hammer Arm!" Cap called out, pointing at the water weasel with the flotation device.

Nina's head reared back as Bog dashed forward, the Swampert's arm pulling back as fire started to come out of either side of the Nintetales' mouth.

"Detect!" Keith called out.

"Protect!" Blues added.

The two Pokemon instantly moved in order to avoid the damaging attacks; Saber out his shield in front of him as a purplish bubble instantly covered him. The Floatzel, meanwhile, jumped out of the way of Bog's Hammer Arm at the last second, while fire moved over the Protect bubble and dissipated.

Nina lat out a growl of annoyance. "Why don't you come out and fight rather than hiding behind some shield?" she demanded, glaring at the floating sword.

"Why don't we take the fight to him?" Maria suggested, grinning. "Faint Attack!"

"Try another Hammer Arm!" Cap called out.

Nina seemed to disappear while Bog raised his fist again and charged at the Floatzel, who had managed to move more towards the center of the arena.

"Night Slash, now!" Blues and Keith suddenly exclaimed together.

Maria looked over at the two in surprise upon hearing the statement. "Night Slash....? My Floatzel doesn't--" Her eyes widened a moment later. "Of course!"

The Protect Bubble lifted as Nina slammed into Saber from the side, causing the sword to release a noise that sounded a lot like metal scraping against metal. At the same time, Bog managed to slam down his fist onto the Floatzel's back, sending it into the ground.

The Floatzel let out a shriek that _definitely_ didn't sound like it belonged to the Water-Type. After it had collapsed, it's entire form seemed to shift, changing to a black-furred creature with blue fur running down its back.

Cap looked a little taken aback, while Maria was just plain amused.

"Zoroark is unable to battle!" Brock called out. "The winner is Swampert!"

"How --" Cap started.

"It's his ability," Maria replied, watching as Keith returned the Dark-Type to his PokeBall. "Illusion allows Zoroark and their pre-evolved form, Zorua, to look like a Pokemon that's on their Trainer's team. It can come in pretty handy for a surprise attack."

"You got that right," Keith growled, grabbing his next PokeBall. "And I was kind of hoping to rely on that!" He tossed the Ball, adding, "Go, Torterra!"

A giant turtle came roaring out of the small sphere and landed on the arena with a small earthquake -- not like the one Maria had experienced earlier with the Golurk.

"Terra's a Grass and Ground," Maria told Cap. "Go ahead and switch out if you want; I'm going to concentrate on Saber."

The Avenger gave Maria a curious look, but didn't say anything as Maria turned her attention back to Nina and barked, "Inferno!"

"Sacred Sword!" Blues called.

"Earthquake!" Keith called out.

While Nina howled and released a stream of fire, the Aegislash swung out at the Ninetales with a flash of steel. At the same time, the Torterra raised his front legs and slammed them into the ground. Cracks appeared in the battlefield as the arena shook from the force; Maria and Cap had to shift their footing in order to steady themselves as the move started to take its toll on the Pokemon on the battlefield.

While Bog stood firm and didn't gain much damage on account of his Typing, Nina and Saber were a completely different story.

The Ninetales let out a cry of pain, being affected both by Sacred Sword _and_ the Ground-Type earthshaking. Saber ended up stopping his attack mid-slash when the Earthquake hit, allowing Nina's Inferno attack to take hold. It wasn't long before the both of them collapsed.

"Aegislash and Ninetales are unable to battle!" Brock called out. "It's a draw!"

A scowl worked its way over Maria's face as a PokeBall materialized in front of her. She snatched it out of the air and returned Nina to it before clipping the PokeBall to her belt.

Cap sent her a look. "First time having it faint?"

"Yup." Maria took in a breath and forced it out in order to calm down at least somewhat. "And I know just the Pokemon to bring out next." She grabbed another PokeBall off her belt and tossed it out, yelling, "Luke, let's go!"

The PokeBall popped open, releasing a blue-and-black, dog-like Pokemon that stood on its two hind legs. Around one of its paws was some sort of silver bracelet with a blue and black circular stone embedded in it.

"Excavalier," Blues stated, tossing out his next Pokemon as he returned the Aegislash to his PokeBall.

The Lucario in front of Maria blinked in slight confusion upon seeing the Trainers he was facing. Glancing back at Maria, he asked, _"Who's the guy in the armor?"_

"A friend," Maria replied. "But right now, we're in the middle of something, so..."

Luke gained a look of understanding and gave a nod before turning to look at the Excavalier and the Torterra that was still standing.

The Lucario crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. The four black extensions of fur on the back of his head rose up as his entire body seemed to become enveloped in blue energy. The stone in his bracelet flashed, causing Luke's entire body to glow brightly. The Fighting/Steel-Type then started to change shape.

Maria's eyes widened in confusion. "What --"

"I know what's going on!" Keith yelped. "He's Mega Evolving!"

At that point, the glow faded, revealing Luke's new form.

Maria blinked as she looked over Luke's elongated black extensions, which turned red towards the end at his knees. His blue tail had been completely covered in white fur and turned into a poofy, pom-pom looking thing. The bracelet with the stone had, oddly enough, disappeared.

"Whoa...." the Reploid murmured.

 _"Humph. Do you really think you can take me on?"_ Luke asked, sounding amused.

Maria grinned, her blue eyes shining brightly with eagerness. "All right! Let's go -- Aura Sphere on Terra!"

"Use Hydro Cannon!" Cap directed, pointing at Excavalier.

Bog reared his head back while Luke brought his paws in front of him and started to gather blue energy into a sphere.

"Leaf Storm!" Keith called out.

"Fury Cutter!" Blues ordered.

The tree on Terra's started to shake and lose leaves while the Excavalier suddenly moved forward in a burst of speed.

The Bug/Steel-Type didn't even make it halfway across the arena before Bog unleashed a large blast of water, sending the Pokemon flying back into the ground, leaving a gouged trail behind it.

Terra's Leaf Storm was a bit more successful; a tornado of sorts leapt from the tree and went careening towards Swamp, but the attack was cut in half as Luke's launched Aura Sphere went through it and hit Terra in the head. All the same, some of it _did_ manage to come through and surround Bog with flying, razor-sharp leaves, causing the Swampert to call out in pain.

 _He's not going to survive that,_ Maria thought grimly. _Especially since some of his HP has already been worn away by Earthquake, and he's exhausted by Hydro Cannon._

The Reploid watched as Bog's proverbial HP bar was whittled down as the Leaf Storm started to lose its power. Just as the last leaf fell, Bog collapsed.

"Swampert is unable to battle!" Brock called out. "The winner is Torterra!"

Cap's face was grim as he returned Bog to his PokeBall; Maria noted that his didn't materialize in front of him. A moment later, he had another PokeBall in his hand and threw it out.

"Kyaaa!" exclaimed the Pokemon as it came flying out; a red, white, and blue bird that clearly had a regal look about him.

Maria gave a slight nod, then looked back at Luke. "Let's get Lancelot out of here before he gets any ideas. Aura Sphere!"

Luke nodded, then got into the stance he had been in a moment before.

"Air Slash!" Cap directed.

"Earthquake!" Keith called.

"Metal Claw!" Blues ordered.

The Braviary let out another battle cry before starting to build up a wind around him; Terra would have lowered his front paws and caused another Earthquake if it wasn't for the fact that the wind suddenly lashed out and cut into the giant turtle. The Pokemon collapsed in a slow manner, causing slight tremors, but not on the Earthquake level.

"Torterra is unable to battle!" Brock called. "The winner is Braviary!"

Just as Brock was speaking, Luke's Aura Sphere was fired at the Excavalier, but the Bug/Steel-Type took the attack by crossing his Lance-like swords in front of him before launching forward and slashing away at Luke's chest.

The Lucario let out a grunt and jumped back with a backflip, landing in a kneeling position.

 _"Did you really think that would do me in?"_ Luke asked as a low growl accompanied it. _"An attack of my own Type isn't going to stop me from moving forward!"_

"Let's take the battle to him!" Maria pointed toward Lancelot dramatically. "Close Combat!"

"Fury--"

Blues didn't get to finish his order, because Luke was instantly on top of the Excavalier, punching and kicking so fast that Lancelot didn't have a chance to defend himself. Within seconds, the Bug/Steel-Type had fallen to the ground, knocked out.

"Excavalier is unable to battle!" Brock called out. "The winner is MegaLucario!"

"Yes!" Maria exclaimed. She grinned at Luke, who looked back at his Trainer and exchanged the grin.

"Hmph." Blues returned the Excavalier and grabbed his last PokeBall; Keith had already done the same with Terra. "The battle isn't over yet."

"I'd say it's just begun," Keith agreed.

The two of them threw out their last PokeBall at once, releasing their final choices for the match.

"Here we go!" exclaimed a Floatzel, grinning at his opponents. "Hey, Maria! Long time, no see!"

"Zel?" Maria asked, blue eyes blinking in surprise.

"He's not the only one," muttered another voice. The Reploid turned her head and found herself looking at a white and green Pokemon with what looked like swords in his green arms.

 _"Galadriel,"_ Luke identified, his eyes narrowing.

"Hello again," Galadriel replied coolly.

"Psycho Cut!" Blues called out.

"Aerial Ace!" Cap ordered. "Stop that attack!"

"Ice Fang!" Keith called out.

"Dragon Pulse!" Maria ordered. "Stop Zel!"

Luke held both his paws in front of him and started to gather a royal-blue like energy there, but he never got far enough to fire the attack; Galadriel dashed forward and slammed into the Lucario, the blades in his arms covered in a pinkish glow as they hit their marks.

Meanwhile, Cap's Braviary was flying straight for the Gallade, while the Floatzel was running towards the Flying-Type at high speed, his tails spinning as though they could provide him with an extra boost.

"I recognize that move," Maria muttered, glaring at the attacking Water-Type. Before she could say anything more, though, the Floatzel slammed into the Braviary and bit down on the bird's wing -- _hard_.

The resulting screech made Maria flinch and want to cover her ears.

Braviary and Luke ended up collapsing at once, the latter losing his upgraded form after he hit the ground.

"Braviary and MegaLucario are unable to battle!" Brock called out. "The victors are Floatzel and Gallade!"

Maria's eyes narrowed into slits, and she returned her Lucario to his PokeBall. "All right. That's _it!_ " She turned to look at Cap. "Who do you have left? Because I have someone who could take care of Zel over there easily, and someone else who could take out Galadriel."

Cap gave Maria a look of surprise, then gained a determined expression. "I'll take care of Galadriel. Watch my back." He threw out a PokeBall, releasing a large, red-orange dog with black stripes and a white mane and tail.

Maria's eyes widened slightly, then gave a nod and grabbed a PokeBall herself and tossed it out. "Final battle, Rose! Let's rock and roll!"

The ball burst open with a blast of petals, and a Pokemon with a mask over its face and two large roses for hands landed on the arena without so much as a stumble.

The Roserade, upon seeing her two opponents, took a stance that looked like the opening stance of a dance...if it weren't for the dark glare that was on the Grass/Poison-Type's face.

"Keep the Gallade off my back, and I'll keep the Floatzel off yours," Maria promised. "Rose, let's start this off! Sunny Day!"

"One boost for Prowler, coming up," Rose muttered. She danced about, raising her roses to the heavens. The sunlight around them instantly brightened, and Maria could feel the heat around them go up.

"Flame Wheel!" Cap ordered on the heels of the attack. The Fire-Type instantly took off, becoming covered in fire as he zoomed for the Gallade.

_*Prowler? Really?*_

_What? He snuck up on me from behind and said he was "prowling." I think the name suits him._

_*...suuuure it does*_

_...I think I'm just going to ignore that suspicious statement and get back to you on that, Inferno._

_*Good. I'll be waiting for it*_

"Slash!" Blues ordered.

"Ice Fang!" Keith called out.

Zel took off for Rose, his tails working crazily. At the same time, Galadriel was hit squarely in the chest by Prowler's attack, and the Arcanine received a sword attack across his nose in return.

"Dodge!" Maria called out. "Tails maneuver!"

"Right!" Rose twirled to the right as Zel got close to her and jabbed out with her roses at the Floatzel's tails.

"What the -- gah!" Zel let out a yelp and collapsed on the ground, his snout digging into the dirt as he came to a stop.

"Now...Energy Ball!" Maria called out.

"Fire Fang!" Cap ordered.

"Psycho Cut on the rose!" Blues ordered, pointing at the Roserade.

"Water Pulse on the Arcanine!" Keith declared, pointing at Prowler.

The four Pokemon moved at once; Rose jumped back from where she had been standing behind Zel while her roses started to glow with green energy that seemed to be taking the shape of a sphere. At the same time, Prowler's mouth seemed to become overcome with flames, and he bit down on one of the Gallade's arms.

"Gah!" Galadriel tried to pull back in order to get out of the Fire-Type's grip, but it wasn't exactly working for him.

At the same time, Zel started to aim at the Arcanine, preparing to fire off a water attack at the large dog. However, Rose suddenly dashed in the water weasel's path and fired off an Energy Ball at her opponent.

Zel went flying backwards with a howl, landing on his back and sending his Water Pulse attack straight up; it landed back on top of him some time later, but it didn't do any damage to him

Keith let out a growl as Zel started to get to his feet, looking like he was barely holding on to consciousness. "These guys are working as a better team than we are," he muttered.

Blues gave a slight nod. "It's time for our trump cards."

"Huh?"

"We're not going to be able to take them out, so we may as well go down fighting." Blues pointed forward at the Arcanine. "Close Combat!"

Keith gave a nod, then looked over at Zel. "Hit that Arcanine with everything you've got! Hydro Pump!"

"Looks like they're letting out all the stops," Maria noted. She grinned. "Rose, use Solarbeam!"

"Fire Blast!" Cap added.

Rose reared back somewhat, taking in the harsh sunlight that still shone around them before firing a beam of yellow energy at the water weasel, who looked like he was still building up power hit Prowler. The Arcanine, meanwhile, moved just as quickly as the Roserade -- he set off a large blast of fire that quickly overtook Galadriel as he ran towards the Fire-Type.

"Gah!" the two Pokemon being attacked exclaimed at once.

They stumbled back and tried to remain on their feet, but they were clearly shaking from exhaustion. Rose and Prowler, however, still remained on their feet and looked like they could go a few more rounds.

Maria blinked, her vision shifting slightly when four health bars appeared -- one over each Pokemon, with stats attached to each. A frown worked its way over the Reploid's face as she saw what was there.

"They've got one health point left each," she stated, glancing over at Cap. "Zel and Galadriel, I mean. It looks like they're only just barely holding on." The health bars disappeared from her vision as she spoke.

"They're truly determined to keep going," Cap noted.

"Not surprising. A Pokemon will fight until they're knocked out or until they just can't move."

Suddenly, there came the sound of a pair of bodies collapsing and Cap and Maria looked in surprise at Galadriel and Zel, who had fallen flat on their faces.

"We gave our all," Zel panted, "and even that wasn't enough."

"But it's what counts," Galadriel muttered. He closed his eyes and fell into unconsciousness, the Floatzel doing the same seconds later.

"Gallade and Floatzel are unable to battle!" Brock declared. "The winners are Maria and Captain America!"

Prowler the Arcanine let out a howl while Rose jumped up into a triple spin move that made Maria rival her strength in dance.

On the other side of the battlefield, Keith and Blues returned their two Pokemon to their PokeBalls, then walked across the arena towards Maria and Cap.

"That was a good fight," Keith stated, reaching the two first. "They don't call you a Pokemon Champion for nothing, Maria."

"Heh heh." Maria grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head with one hand. "Think nothing of it. Here, I'm just another contestant. At this point, I don't really think that titles matter -- I mean, someone could still beat me at my own game."

Blues gave a nod. "Still, you should be proud of what you've done." He turned his attention to Cap. "You were able to adapt pretty quickly to this battle style."

"Try adjusting after a sixty-year hibernation," Cap replied dryly. "Compared to that, this is nothing."

Blues didn't show any sort of reaction to the Avenger's statement.

"So, what are you two going to do now?" Maria asked. "I mean, you're kind of out of the running."

"I'm definitely not leaving," Keith declared in response, slamming a fist into his chest.

"Nor I," Blues agreed with a nod. "There is something that I wanted to do while I'm here." He looked over at Maria. "There's a dojo that's been left abandoned in the town below us. I was hoping to use it for the time that I was here to help others."

"Not a bad idea," Maria replied, smirking. "First chance I get, I think I'll come by and see about testing my strength."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

**Maria's team and used attacks:**

**Nina (Ninetales) -- Inferno, Flamethrower, Faint Attack**

**Silvia (Sylveon) -- Moonblast**

**Loki (Washer Rotom) -- Hydro Pump, Shadow Ball**

**Luke (Lucario w/ Lucarionite) -- Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Dragon Pulse**

**Rose (Roserade) -- Sunny Day, Solarbeam, Energy Ball**

**Cap's used team members and used attacks:**

**Bog (Swampert) -- Hammer Arm, Hydro Cannon**

**Braviary -- Air Slash, Aerial Ace**

**Arcanine (Prowler) -- Flame Wheel, Fire Fang, Fire Blast**


	13. Chapter 13

When Maria woke up the next morning, the monitor on the wall was showing what looked like some sort of leaderboard.

"Well, I was starting to wonder where we were," the Reploid remarked as she was liked over to the monitor. "Let's see...we're fifth? Really? I wasn't expecting that." Her blue-eyed gaze went down the list, partially committing it to memory: Mario and Luigi had been pushed down to second by Sora and Hal Jordan (there's a surprise), while Nightwing and Shadow were right on their heels in third.

And right above Maria and Cap were Dr. Wily and his partner, the latter's name only appearing as "?????".

Maria's eyes narrowed as she felt something in her chest twist--most likely a phantom pain from when she had a human heart.

"So he _did_ stick around," she muttered. "Great. We've gotta knock him out of fourth place and completely out of the running before I'm going to feel any peace."

While Maria was growling this, the leaderboard vanished and was replaced a moment later by a paragraph of text.

 _"Greetings, contestants! Today, we will be going back to the tried-and-true Smash Battles to whittle down our numbers even more. As of this moment, partnerships will be momentarily disbanded to allow for one-on-one fights for today. Yes, this means that those who have lost their partners are allowed back into the running for today to work their way back up to the top. Perhaps they will even be able to get their partners_ back, _if they win their match._

_"Good luck!"_

Maria raised an eyebrow upon seeing this statement. She managed to fully read it before it switched back to the leaderboard, which now showed everyone as completely separate people. And Wily wasn't in the top five -- all the better, in Maria's opinion.

Maria gave the leaderboard a wry smirk, then walked over onto the warp panel and stepped out into the dining hall.

As Maria walked towards the table, she glanced up at the wall at the head of the table -- where Chaos was sitting with Tikal the Phione to his right -- and noticed that there was a large monitor with a black screen mounted high above their heads.

"Hey, Maria!"

The brown-haired girl paused and turned her head, catching sight of a familiar, blue-armored, brown-haired boy with blue eyes waving for her to come over. A smirk came over her face, and Maria walked over.

"Hey," Maria greeted as she sat down in an open seat next to Rock. "This is certainly going to mix things up, huh?" She motioned to the monitor high above them before moving an omelet onto the plate in front of her and starting to dig in.

"Yeah," Rock agreed, nodding. "Maybe they're hoping for the fights to last longer than the ones we had before when there were four of us fighting at once."

"Maybe." Maria glanced up at the monitor. "It could be that our numbers have been whittled down pretty far, too. I mean, every time I come in here after a challenge, it's like the number of competitors has been cut down in half. I mean, I don't even see most of the original members of the Smash Brothers anymore." She motioned up the table at the few spots that had been left after the past few challenges. "I'm getting the feeling that they're going to officially end the whole 'partnership' thing soon."

"I hope not." Rock looked worried. "I mean, I would hate to end up going against someone like Superman by myself."

"Even if he's got a Mobian who may as well be a superhero in her own right?" Maria responded. She turned her attention to the mentioned scarlet-furred Mobian, who was sitting some way down the table. Occasionally, a pair of what looked like white-tipped fox tails would move above the table before twitching somewhat and flowing back down like they were being affected by an unseeable wind.

"I mean, with the abilities of three different Mobians in her bloodstream, it's kinda hard to be 'normal'," the Reploid added.

Rock looked over at Scarlet, frowning slightly. "Yeah...I'd hate to run into those two in this. I hope we're not going to run into them for the fights today."

"I dunno..." Maria smirked. "I'd kind of like to test Scarlet's abilities and see how far she's progressed since I last saw her."

Rock gave Maria a look of surprise, but then let out a sigh and shook his head. "You're crazy."

There was sudden movement at the head of the table, and Maria and Rock turned their attention towards it as Chaos got to his feet and looked around the dining hall. The Mewtwo's movement alone was enough to get everyone's attention centered on the Pokemon.

 _"As you already know from your...morning announcement, today is going to be run on what some video gamers may call a 'one player' situation,"_ Chaos stated calmly. He motioned to the monitor behind him as it suddenly flickered to life and photos of each of the still active contestants appeared on the screen. _"Those who have lost their partners in previous events may regain them by defeating others, but be forewarned, as it is not going to be easy."_ The Psychic-Type grinned mischievously. _"As those who lose are not only knocked out, but their partners will be, as well. But fear not -- if the first of the pair loses and the second wins, there may still be a chance that you can continue on."_

Maria's eyes widened, and she quickly searched the table for Cap. She caught sight of him moments later sitting between Thor and Hulk, and the two exchanged a quick nod; neither one was planning on getting knocked out today.

 _"And here are the brackets for today."_ Chaos motioned to the monitor above him, which now fully showed the contestants and their chosen opponents. _"Good luck."_

Maria sat up a little straighter and scanned the monitor in order to find herself and her opponent. It took her a while because everyone was separate, but the respective "partners" that had been set up were still relatively close to each other.

So, when Maria found Cap and discovered that he was going to be going against _Batman_ , she found herself not long after...going against Nightwing.

Maria's eyebrows arched as her eyes widened. "Oh, boy. This is going to be difficult."

"You're telling me," Rock responded. "I'm going against the silver-haired guy with the sword!"

"Hmm?" Maria's attention moved from her own match-up and scanned for Rock's opponent. "Oh, you mean Riku." She looked back at the blue-eyed boy. "Yeah, I can see how that's going to be difficult. Riku's part of a group of people who keep balance in one specific corner of the universe, and among them, he's a master at what he does. You're going to have to step lightly."

Rock nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad that I managed to copy a few abilities before I came here. SwordMan's is definitely going to come in handy against him."

Along the table, people started to move from their places and start towards the large double doors that led towards the fight areas. As Maria turned in her seat in order to get up herself, she caught sight of Nightwing and Shadow walking past, and the three exchanged looks.

The Reploid remained in her seat until the other two were already a little ahead, then she got to her feet and started after them after giving a nod to Rock. As she we to she considered what exactly she knew about Nightwing.

 _OK, so this guy's Richard Grayson, aka "Dick" Grayson, formerly known as the first Robin. He was a trapeze artist when he was a kid...and coupling that with what Batman's taught him turns him into a formidable opponent. Just these facts alone could let him find weak spots in my armor -- or just_ make _them. I'm going to have to be careful._

Maria clenched her right fist and prepared to morph it as she walked through the large doors with the others. Her vision blacked out for a moment, but then it cleared up and she got a good look around at where she was standing.

They were standing on top of what looked like a destroyed skyscraper in the middle of New York -- Maria only knew that because she caught sight of what appeared to be the Empire State Building on the skyline. But that wasn't the only thing that caught her attention, however.

The Reploid let out a yelp and ducked as what looked like some sort of gold hovering scooter flew over her head, followed closely by a red and gold blur...which was trying to get the scooter's rider's attention by cursing loudly.

Maria's blue eyes widened, and she looked around at the destroyed skyline, catching sight of more scooters, what looked like large, flying worms, and blue energy bolts getting fired in all directions. On top of that, there was a large hole in the sky that led out to deep space and _clearly_ didn't belong there, as was shown by the machine that was on the roof nearby...shooting a sky-blue beam of energy into the hole.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Maria moaned. Some of her brown hair was thrown into her face by a blast of wind, and she pushed it away with a white-gloved hand. "This is an _Avengers_ stage, not a _DC_ one!"

"What makes you say that?"

Maria turned her head and locked her blue eyes with the ones hiding behind Nightwing's mask. The DC hero was standing at the other side of the rooftop, putting the energized machine to the Reploid's left.

"This is something that happened some time ago in their world," Maria explained. She cast her gaze around, making sure that none of the aliens riding the flying scooters were going to land on the roof. "A major problem with Loki and some alien group called the Chitari."

"Uh huh." Nightwing looked around at the damage. "And they took care of all this."

"Pretty much."

_"Greetings, challengers!"_

Maria and Nightwing looked up sharply, but there wasn't anyone above their heads that represented the source of the voice.

_"You have five minutes to inflict as much damage as you can on your opponent. The one with the most damage by the end of the five minutes loses. Begin!"_

Instantly, what sounded like a foghorn went off. Maria looked down from the sky in order to return her attention to Nightwing, but her face -- specifically her nose -- met his fist. As a result, there was a metallic _thud_ of sorts from the connection, and Maria stumbled back a few feet as she tried to prevent herself from falling over backward.

"Are you entirely made of metal?" Nightwing demanded, glaring at the Reploid.

Maria blinked blankly, but upon seeing how the hand he had hit her with was clenching and unclenching, she smirked and gave a shrug.

"Well, yeah. My original body kinda _did_ turn to dust." Maria got into more of an attack stance, moving into an attack stance just as another Chitari flew over her head. "So I'm not some kid wearing a suit of armor."

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

"Heh." Maria's arms started to become covered in flickers of fire. "Bring it on!"

The Reploid charged towards the vigilante, bringing back her fire-covered right arm so that she could punch Nightwing in the chest. As Maria swung, however, Nightwing bent back and caused the Reploid to whiff her attack.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Nightwing stated calmly. He did a backflip, hitting Maria in the chin and causing her to stumble back again.

"Give me a break," Maria replied. "I'm not exactly used to hand-to-hand combat." Her right arm morphed into her Buster, and Maria quickly took aim at Nightwing and fired.

Nightwing dodged the initial energy blast, then continued to dodge as Maria continued to fire in his direction. Maria could tell that her opponent was definitely agile, as she had already figured out through previous knowledge.

 _I can't keep doing this,_ Maria mentally growled. _It probably won't be long before he comes at me with some of those gadgets the Batman "clan" is so well-known for._

As if on cue, Nightwing jumped in order to avoid a shot fired at his feet, and as soon as he was in the air, the DC hero threw two small, black objects in Maria's direction.

Maria's eyes widened as her vision showed two "lock-on" symbols over the objects, followed not long after by stated including speed, what angle they were going at, and _where they would hit her armor if she didn't book it._

Maria wasn't sure whether they were ninja stars or explosives, and in a sudden bout of panic, she leapt to her left in order to avoid the flying objects. As she was still in he air, she aimed her Buster one more time at Nighrwing.

The Reploid fired at the DC hero at the same time as one of the projectiles hit her right boot and exploded; the other went flying over the edge and exploded on a Chitari's head.

"Gah!" Maria gritted her teeth as her vision was partially blocked by data streaming in saying something about damaged energy lines and pain receptors flaring up _inside_ the jet booster of that particular foot. Leaving the right foot as stationary as possible, the Reploid started to shift her left foot underneath her so that she could get to her feet, but then she stopped moving as another alert popped into her vision.

_Turn off pain receptors? Y/N_

A smirk came across her face as Maria chose her answer, and she quickly moved to her feet in a way that clearly would have made anyone else in her situation flinch and collapse in pain.

After Maria had sent one last look at her right boot and frowned when she didn't see any actual damage, she turned her attention to Nightwing, and her eyes widened in surprise as she watched him get to his own feet.

"Looks like we both scored hits," Maria muttered to herself, noticing how Nightwing was gripping his side with one hand. A smirk appeared on her face not long after. "Maybe now I can take him out the rest of the way, but definitely not with this."

Maria's Buster morphed back to her regular right arm, and she clenched her fists. Fire appeared on her arms, and the Reploid quickly dashed -- well, limped -- towards Nightwing with fire starting to work over her entire form. When she thought that she was close enough, Maria threw out a punch, the fire on her right arm flying off and rushing towards Nightwing.

Nightwing's eyes widened upon seeing the attack, and the DC hero ducked before throwing out four small, black spheres at Maria's feet. The Reploid saw it coming, though, and she managed to jump out of the way and avoid the rolling bombs...which promptly hit a Chitari alien that had somehow managed to get onto the roof of the skyscraper.

Maria glanced back as she landed on the roof, watching as the alien dispersed into blue data cubes and disappeared from sight. Her eyes widened a moment later.

"Shoot," the Reploid muttered. "Of course the background would interfere with this." She realized her guard was down and quickly turned in order to see if Nightwing as going to come at her...but the vigilante was nowhere in sight.

"Where--"

Maria's own question was cut off when something rammed into her from behind, sending her flat on her face in front of the machine the fight was sharing the roof with.

"Never let your guard down," Nightwing said from behind the Reploid.

Maria flipped over onto her back and aimed a quickly reformed Buster at the DC hero. The cannon-like weapon appeared to be sparking a little. "I know. Charged shot!"

A large sphere of orange energy came flying out of the Buster. Nightwing started to move in order to avoid it by moving to Maria's left, but the attack still managed to hit his shoulder.

Nightwing gritted his teeth as the attack hit, and Maria started to charge up for another Buster shot. She would have hit him if it weren't for what she saw happening on the edge of the roof of the building.

Thor was landing there, and he looked _mad._

"Loki!" Nightwing suddenly exclaimed, angered. "What are you --"

Maria flinched back when electricity suddenly arced from Thor's hammer and a beam of blue energy was sent from the gold staff that a certain mischievous Asgaridan was carrying. And the vigilante was caught in the crossfire. The Reploid bit back a cry of alarm as Nightwing himself cried out in pain.

Maria started to scramble to her feet, releasing the energy in her Buster in Loki's direction in order to get the two off the battleground. She managed to score a hit, breaking the beam and causing Loki to stumble somewhat in order to keep his balance. Not but a second later, the lightning bolts coming from Thor's hammer started to make their way towards the Reploid; one strand of it instantly latched onto her injured right foot and started to climb upward.

Maria let out a yell and quickly pulled away from the electricity's range: her right leg was dragged across the roof, the armor smoking as a result of the attack.

"Ow ow ow ow ow," Maria hissed between her teeth as she looked down at her now limp leg. "That stings!" She tried to move the leg, but it didn't respond. "And now I've got a peg leg! Shoot!"

The barrage from Thor and Loki stopped at this point, and the two Asgardians made abnormally large jumps and disappeared off the rooftop.

Nightwing collapsed with a groan, then started to get to his feet. "What _was_ that?"

"Probably a part of the environment," Maria replied in as calm a manner as she could. The Reploid looked up at the hole in the sky and swallowed as one of the large, flying worm-like things came through and screeched loudly; the noise grated against her ears and forced her to suppress a shudder -- simulation or not, it looked dangerous with her standing right underneath it!

"Part of the environment?"

"Yeah." Maria looked back at Nightwing. "In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of right in the middle of a battlefield, so of _course_ we're going to end up getting caught in the crossfire of both sides."

_"One minute!"_

Nightwing's eyes narrowed, and Maria could only guess at what was going through his head. She did her best to get into an attack stance, but with her right leg out of commission for the rest of the fight, it was a bit difficult.

Maria glanced down at her Buster for a moment, considering what she could do at this point. Then she looked back up at Nightwing, who, despite being injured from Loki and Thor, looked like he was pretty much undamaged and was waiting for the Reploid to make her own move. That's when she caught sight of something, and her eyes widened.

A multicolored ball with a cross-like symbol was floating behind Nightwing's head.

Maria quickly took aim with her Buster and fired at the Smash Ball in order to get it moving; maybe she'd be able to break it before Nightwing got to it.

As the energy blast moved past him, Nightwing moved to the side instinctively then threw out what looked like two elongated ninja stars or shrunken boomerangs. Maria quickly moved to hop out of their way, but then realized a second later that Nightwing hadn't been aiming for _her._

Maria and Nightwing looked behind themselves just as their fired shots hit their targets. As a result, _two_ Smash Balls exploded and sent their energies over the two combatants.

Maria closed her eyes for a moment and took in a breath as she felt her level energy rise. A moment later, she knew _exactly_ what she had to do in order to enact her Final Smash. When the Reploid opened her eyes, however, she discovered that Nightwing seemed to have gained the exact same sort of idea.

Nightwing smirked at Maria from where he sat in what looked like Batman's signature jet. "So, what are you going to do? Try and shoot at me?"

Maria's eyes narrowed as she clenched her teeth and her Buster reverted to her right hand; bright orange fire started to cover her form. "My abilities don't rely on shooting guns. My power lies in fire! White Flare!"

Nightwing's eyes narrowed as the fire on the Reploid's form turned white. He flipped up the top of a lever located in the cockpit and didn't even hesitate; he slammed his thumb down on the red button that had been hidden in the lever.

White-hot tendrils of fire rushed out towards Nightwing's jet as Maria's eyes became completely white. At the same time, missiles shot out from compartments under the black jet's wings and went careening towards the Reploid. The two attacks hit at the same time, resulting in explosions on both sides.

At the same time, as a part of the environment, the machine on top of the rooftop suddenly got the attention of a certain red-haired woman in a black uniform...carrying Loki's staff.

As the smoke cleared from both sides, Nightwing started to climb out of his jet, which was now positioned rather precariously on the edge of the skyscraper's roof; the flying contraption was covered in partially melted parts of metal. As the DC hero leapt out of the cockpit, the jet let out a groan as it fell off the edge of the roof, its weight now displaced. Nightwing paused for a moment to watch the jet careen down towards the street below, hitting some sort of balcony before crushing multiple aliens and their golden scooters.

After a moment, a blast of energy suddenly hit him from behind, and Nightwing would have nearly fallen off the building if it weren't for his acrobatic instincts. The vigilante reached out and grabbed the edge of the roof and held on tightly.

Maria came up to the edge of the building's roof, panting heavily from loss of energy.

A loud buzzer suddenly resounded through the area, and all the aliens in the sky froze. If Maria had looked up, she might have seen a certain millionaire carrying a nuclear bomb towards the portal in the sky.

The Reploid looked down at Nightwing and gave a tired smirk before falling back and sitting down on the rooftop.

"Man, am I glad that this is just a simulation," Maria stated tiredly.

Nightwing looked at his opponent in slight bewilderment, but then shook it off and started to climb up onto the roof. As soon as he got on and moved away from the steep drop, a voice suddenly echoed through the area.

_"Congratulations, you two! You were the first to test out our brand-new Marvel stage!"_

"Brand new?" Nightwing frowned. "Doesn't look like it." He motioned to the ruined skyline around them.

"They take events and turn them into video games," Maria replied. She started to get to her feet, now feeling no problems in her right leg as the battle was over. The Reploid sent a glare up at he sky and added, "You could've added more stuff going on in the background, and made sure that people _knew_ they were on top of Stark's building!"

"Stark?" Nightwing repeated. He looked down the edge of the skyscraper again, frowning. "This entire skyscraper is _his?"_

_"We might do that, World Jumper. There are people who would know just by looking at the machine there on the rooftop with you, however."_

"True. But sometimes, it depends on a person's memory." Maria smirked slightly. "Not everyone's perfect, you know."

_"And that is correct. However, I doubt that now is the time to be discussing the thoughts of children and those who prefer to play games. I believe you wish to know who won this match."_

"You've got that right," Nightwing growled.

_"Your results were nearly tied, were it not for your actions in the last few seconds of the time allotted."_

Maria blinked, then noticed the dark look that Nightwing was giving her, and instantly realized what it meant.

_"Yes, World Jumper. You are the winner of this fight."_

Maria grinned hugely. "Yes!" She made a fist pump with her right hand, then looked over at Nightwing, who was giving her a rather grumpy expression that reminded her a lot of his mentor. "You fought well. I actually thought for a minute there that I probably wouldn't end up getting past you."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "And I'm surprised that you managed to beat me. You could do with some training."

Maria gave a nod. "Yeah." An idea quickly slipped into her mind. "I'm gonna go visit Blues and Keith -- they said they were opening up a training dojo that people could go to. If I struggled against you, I'm definitely going to need it."

**Spacial Break**

Maria walked down the path that led between the shops, feeling a bit lighter despite the fact that she'd stopped by the Comic Haunt and picked up another book that she had been hoping to get her hands on. The Reploid had managed to defeat a member of the Justice League -- and Batman's former sidekick, no less. All the same, if she was going to be able to survive in the fights (and she knew she was going to stay whether Cap got knocked out by Bats or not), training with Blues to increase her fighting abilities was her best bet.

It didn't take the brown-haired too long to find the building that Blues and Keith had mentioned taking over; it looked like a combination between a samurai helmet and a Pokemon Gym's roof and been dropped on top of the one-floor building. What concerned Maria, however, was not how much weight was on the roof.

"The lights are out and the door's wide open," Maria muttered, frowning at the building. "I doubt that he'd leave it alone like this after saying he'd take it over...." The Reploid started towards the open doorway and stepped inside.

"Blues? Keith?" Maria called, looking around. "Where --"

There came a groan from a dark corner of the dojo, and Maria froze. She turned to look in the direction of the voice, dropped the bag she had been carrying at her feet, and ran over, alarm appearing on her face.

"Blues!" Maria yelped, skidding to a halt in front of the fallen form of the prototype. Her wide, blue eyes could only just make out the cuts in the other's armor, his cracked sunglasses, and the large dent that was in the center of his chest. "What happened?"

Blues didn't give an answer other than a groan through clenched teeth that turned into a hiss at the end.

Maria shook her head. "I didn't catch that." She got down on one knee, ignoring the fluid that was slowly pooling out of Blues and making a rather nasty-looking puddle on the floor of the dojo. "Come on--"

"No!" Blues' sudden yell made Maria retreat back for a moment. "You're going to make it worse!" Another hiss slipped out between his teeth.

Maria's eyebrows became knit together, and she moved back. "All right. I'm going to go get Dr. Light." She turned and ran out of the dojo, not even bothering to wait for the other's answer. As soon as she got out, the Reploid's boosters became active and she blasted down the path at high speed towards the main building that the battles were taking place in -- which, from he outside, looked either like a cathedral or a castle, Maria was never exactly sure.

Maria managed to burst into the dining hall, wild-eyed, just as Rock, Cap, Riku, and Batman were walking out of the simulation area with a collection of others. Dr. Light was standing nearby, his hand on Roll's shoulder and a sad smile on his face. Rock and Roll probably weren't going to keep going in the competition.

"Doc!" Maria yelped, getting the white-bearded man's attention. Others looked in her direction, as well, but the Reploid's blue eyes were locked on the roboticist.

Dr. Light turned his head and looked at Maria, and noticing the look on her face, gained a concerned expression. "What is it? What's happened?"

"It's Blues," Maria replied grimly, panting. Her energy had been diminished somewhat thanks to the jet booster use. "He's been attacked."

Roll let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands while her green eyes widened in shock.

"Attacked? By who?" Rock asked, his own eyes wide.

"I don't know, but whoever did it _had_ to be good, because he's in _really_ bad shape." Maria glanced over at Rock, then back at Dr. Light. "He's in the dojo that he and Keith were planning on setting up. I can take you there."

Dr. Light closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, a grim expression on his face. The roboticist gave a slight nod.

Maria gave a nod in return, motioned for the man to follow her, then turned and took off out of the dining hall. Rock, Roll, and Dr. Light followed after the Reploid.

Cap looked over at Batman, who had been watching the events with a grim air about him. "First the video game character, now this. Something's going on here."

Batman's eyes narrowed slightly. "Right. But there should be more than enough people here to handle it without me."

"You're not seriously thinking of going back now."

"You beat me, and I don't see much of a point of staying."

Captain America gave Batman a dark look. "Despite of who you are and what you do, Maria admires you. She's told me enough about you to let me realize that. If you can, use those skills of yours to figure out what's going on."

Batman turned sharply, his black cape flaring out as he gave Cap a dark look. "I am not a part of your Avengers," he hissed. "Do _not_ think that I'm going to take your orders."

"But you _are_ part of a league of heroes," the Avenger responded. "And you aren't about to let this injustice go unchecked." Cap turned and started towards the warp panel, adding over his shoulder, "I don't expect you to find the culprit; I just expect you to _do_ something about it."

With that, Captain America disappeared in a flash of yellow, leaving the Dark Knight standing alone with a scowl on his face. ****


	14. Chapter 14

Maria was pacing nervously in the dining hall when Cap ended up finding her after the fights and the commotion involving Blues.

"I haven't seen Dr. Light anywhere."

The Reploid stopped her pacing and looked up at the Avenger. Her blue eyes were filled with worry. "Chaos had him go back to Neo-Earth with Blues so that he could get fixed up properly. Roll went with him to help, but Rock decided to stick around to make sure that the culprit was caught." Maria rubbed the back of her neck with a gloved hand. "He's just as worried about what's going on as I am, but he's better at hiding it."

"It's because you don't know who's going to strike next," Cap guessed.

"That's the main thing...." Maria looked down at her red, orange, and gray armor and let out a sigh. "Thing is, though, there's something else that's been bugging me, telling me to keep my guard up. And I can't help but wonder if there's a reason these things are happening...."

Cap frowned. "You don't mean to say that you think that Wily is behind this."

"It could be possible. His partner in all this _doesn't have a name on the leaderboards._ There's gotta be a reason for that." Maria ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "And I'm getting the feeling that it's a bad one."

"There's something about this entire situation that's suspicious."

Maria and Cap turned their heads, and the two caught sight of a certain Dark Knight stepping out of the shadows.

"What do you mean, Batman?" Maria asked, frowning. "Is there something you know that the rest of us don't?"

Batman inclined his head slightly. "I've had Nightwing tail this Wily you seem to be so worried about. He's had his ally disguise himself, but seems to be as upset with being partnered up with him as he is delighted."

Cap frowned. "Upset and delighted?"

"That...shouldn't be possible except in the most unusual of circumstances," Maria noted. Her blue eyes darkened as she frowned. "And even then...."

"I've talked to Chaos about the situation."

Maria and Cap looked at the Dark Knight in surprise.

"The Mewtwo?" Cap frowned. "Why?"

"He seems to be running this place a lot more than the supposed creators of this tournament," Batman replied. "He's agreed to set up a test."

"A test?" Maria blinked, then smirked. "Or a trap?"

"Both. You'll find out what is it tomorrow."

With that, Batman stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

The Reploid frowned, considering what the DC vigilante had said. "A test and a trap...catching the culprit would probably be the trap part, but what about the test?"

"I don't know, but something tells me we shouldn't put our complete faith in a man who hides in the shadows," Cap replied, giving the direction Batman had gone a dark look.

"He uses it to scare the heck out of criminals," Maria replied in a careless manner. "Gotham is practically a _city_ of darkness, and Batman walks a rather fine line every night as a result." The worried expression reappeared on her face. "I'm just wondering what he meant by trap AND test. We'll trap the guy doing this, at least, but...what's the other half of his plan?"

"He probably has a reason for it," Cap replied.

"Well, yeah, he always does. I'm just not sure what's going to happen as a result." Maria shook her head. "I guess I'll figure out what's going on when it happens." She sent a look over in the direction of the warp panel. "I'm going to go have a look at the books I've gotten. It'll give me some time to clear my head."

Cap gave a slight nod, but said nothing else as the Reploid made the short trek across the room to the yellow warp panel and disappeared from sight.

As soon as Maria walked into her room, she let out a groan and collapsed on the bed. The plastic bag that held her books crinkled a little as a gloved hand landed on top of it.

"As much as I admire him, Batman really grinds my gears," Maria muttered. She moved so that she could sit on top of the covers and pulled the book out of the bag. On the cover was the Archie Comics logo, right above the words _MegaMan: Let the Games Begin!_

_*I didn't expect you to use a robotic phrase there, kiddo*_

"Inferno...." Maria rubbed her thumb on the base of the book's spine. "I was just thinking that I should start to adapt more to what I am, I guess."

_*In that case, start saying "scrap" instead of "rats." It makes you sound like a five-year-old*_

"'Scrap'?" Maria raised an eyebrow. She put down the comic book and leaned back against the bed's headboard. "How would you know something like that? I haven't heard anyone say that before."

_*...you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you*_

"Uh huh. Right."

_*Maria, I'm being very serious here. Now's not the time for me to tell you why exactly I'm in your head...I know that much*_

Maria frowned at Inferno's statement, then let out an annoyed sigh and shook her head. "All right, fine -- be all secretive on me. I'll probably figure it out sooner or later."

_*I don't doubt it*_

Something in Inferno's voice made Maria want to laugh; it sounded like she was begrudgingly accepting the inevitable. All the same, there was a growl underneath it that made it sound more like a threat and less like an accepting statement.

The Reploid closed her eyes and shook her head slightly as a knowing smirk came across her face. She opened them and turned her attention to the MegaMan comic book on the bed. Picking it up, Maria turned to the first page and began to read. ****

**Time Break**

The next morning, things were a bit louder at breakfast than it had been on previous days. As soon as Maria stepped into the dining hall, she caught sight of the reason why.

There were villains standing around, looking anywhere between _very_ disgruntled or attempting to be dignified as they exchanged glares with their rivals -- the complete opposites being a tied and gagged Joker and a certain trickster Asgardian, who was reclining at the table like he belonged there. Anyone could tell from the look on his face, however, that Loki was at least a little bit uncomfortable with his present situation.

"What's going on?" Maria muttered to herself, frowning.

_*Maybe it's part of Batman's "test"*_

"Maybe...." Maria glanced around and caught sight of Cap with an empty seat next to him...but it was across from Loki and Thor, who looked like they'd rather not be sitting next to each other, despite being brothers. The Reploid's blue eyes scanned the rest of the table, but she didn't see any other open spots, or anyone else walking off the warp panel.

Taking in a breath to steel herself, Maria walked toward the empty seat and sat down abruptly.

Loki took note of the movement and looked over at Maria with slight interest as she reached for the pitcher of orange juice. "Well, well, if it isn't the little portal maker."

"I prefer World Jumper," Maria replied calmly, pouring a glass of orange juice. She glanced up at Loki and, noticing that he was looking at her expectantly, asked cautiously, "Is there something that you want?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," Loki replied, waving away Maria's question. "I was just wondering how someone like you would have so much weight out on your shoulders."

Maria paused in drinking, then swallowed her mouthful and put the half-full glass on the table and gave Loki a suspicious look. "What do you mean by that, Trickster?"

Thor sent Loki a dark glance, but his brother ignored it.

"I mean to say that, really, someone your age shouldn't have to make sure the worlds are in balance. They should've chosen someone else to handle all that." Loki leaned back in his chair and smirked, and Maria noted rather dryly that Disney did a good job in casting a certain actor for the Marvel-Avengers' based movies.

"The Fates make each of their decisions for a reason," Thor stated resolutely. "Neither you nor I can change that."

"Besides, I don't mind," Maria replied with a shrug. "It lets me see other worlds that I may have only dreamed of before." A slight frown came over her face. "What do you really mean by 'keeping the worlds in balance,' though? Is it something like what the Keyblade wielders do? Because I remember hearing something like that before, but --"

"It wasn't fully explained?" Loki guessed.

Maria shook her head. "Not really."

"What we know of World Jumpers is not much," Thor interrupted, sending his brother a warning look. "They are people selected from certain worlds and granted certain abilities that will come to them when the time is right. It has been thought that abilities could be passed down with each generation, but that hasn't been proven."

Maria's eyebrows arched as she looked at Thor in surprise; next to him, Loki gained a look of annoyance. "Have you guys run into World Jumpers before?"

"Odin might have," Loki spoke with something of a sneer. " _He_ never told us much of what was going on other than that some world was having a bit of trouble and someone had been sent out to assist them."

"Don't tell me you're jealous of a World Jumper," Maria responded in mock shock, grinning. "When you've already gone to Earth and most certainly gained the wrath of multiple people throughout the Multiverse."

Loki gained a scowl and sent it in the Reploid's direction while Thor burst out laughing.

"You certainly know of what has occurred in other worlds," Thor noted.

"Well, there _are_ movies, video games, and other stuff for you guys on my world, like I've said before," Maria replied with a shrug. She grabbed her glass of orange juice and glugged down what remained while Loki looked at her in surprise.

"Movies?" Loki repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Moving pictures," Thor explained. "An innovation of Earth."

"Really?" Loki looked at Maria with a mildly interested expression. "And I'm included in them?"

"You're the main villain in the ones you've shown up in so far," Maria replied.

"So far?"

"There was another one that's come out recently, but I haven't seen it yet. It looks like you and Thor have to team up in order to take out a great evil of some sort."

The two brothers exchanged glances.

"And it doesn't matter what side you're on -- girls have been _fawning_ over your appearance ever since you showed up! Thor's too."

A large grin split across Loki's face. "Truly?"

"Yup." Maria popped the "p," her blue eyes shining with humor.

Thor frowned. "Do not cause his ego to puff up further, Maria. I have had nearly enough of it as it is."

Loki sent Thor a scalding look of false shock, causing Maria to burst out into laughter upon seeing his expression.

_"If I could have your attention."_

The whispers of conversation petered out as those sitting looked in the direction of the head of the table, where Chaos was as per the usual.

 _"The reason that certain members of the...more villainous side have returned is because of a suggestion that I have taken into account,"_ the Mewtwo began. _"It has been decided that villains and heroes be allowed a day to combat against each other using their partners against their opponent of their own choosing. Make your decisions known now, and you will be allowed to fight them in the data realm that has been randomizing locations for the past few days."_

Those on the table looked at each other, and a moment later, a loud shouting match ensued between the villains about who they would get to fight. The Joker, who had somehow managed to get the gag off his mouth, had the loudest voice, demanding that he go against the Batman, whether he had been kicked out or not. Loki, as the exact opposite, simply had to grin at his brother before calling out Thor's name in Chaos' direction.

It was as the noise died down, however, that one, particularly _familiar_ voice was able to call out clearly.

"I challenge the Reploid!"

Maria stiffened instantly, then looked over at Cap, who gave her a serious look in return.

Maria swallowed, then released a breath in an attempt to calm herself. "That's him."

The Avenger blinked, then frowned before looking up in the direction that the voice had come from -- somewhere behind Maria. "Something tells me he might have just fallen into Batman's trap."

Maria's blue eyes widened. "Do you think so?"

"It seems most likely. Why not bring the one who's been doing all this out into the open?"

Maria glanced behind her; on the other side of the table and a good distance away from them, Wily was standing with his hands splayed out on the table, glaring up at Chaos. Beside him, his combat partner sat with the brown cloak completely covering his body. It didn't even look like the figure was breathing.

Maria gave a slight nod and turned her attention back to the Avenger. "Yeah, that makes the most sense -- it certainly sounds like something Batman would do."

 _"Now that you have all voiced your opinions,"_ Chaos stated calmly, _"I will arrange the simulator in accordance with what you've chosen. While you may not face your chosen opponent_ right away, _I can assure you that you_ will _face the heroes you wish to battle eventually."_

Large grins were exchanged between the villains, followed by evil-sounding chortles.

 _*Something tells me we're not going to like this*_ Inferno warned.

 _Easy for you to say;_ you're _not the one who's going to be fighting them._

 _*True. But still, I've been watching everything that you've been doing, and I can't necessarily_ shut it off _, like you can one of those situational comedies*_

Maria rolled her eyes, but said nothing verbally.

 _"Get moving -- all of you,"_ Chaos stated, motioning towards the doors that appeared on the other side of the dining hall. _"You'll find out who your first opponents are soon enough."_

Seconds later, a large stampede ran from the table and slammed through the doors and out of sight. This left almost no villains at the table...except for Loki.

The trickster Asgardian let out a sigh of annoyance and got up from his seat. "Well, it appears that we had better get moving." He sneered at Thor. "I look forward to pounding your face into the dirt, _brother_."

Thor scowled, and he got up from his own seat abruptly. "Do not count on that. I will not lose."

"So you say." Loki turned and calmly walked towards the doors.

"Yeah, I can see his ego from here," Maria remarked dryly. "He's practically _buoyant_ with it."

"That is not the half of it," Thor replied grimly. He started after Loki, gripping his hammer tightly. "He is not going to find himself winning so easily."

Captain America watched as Thor and Loki walked towards the doors, then got up himself and looked down at Maria.

"Come on," he stated. "Something tells me we're going to be facing my challengers before yours." He sent a dark look in the direction of the doors, then started forward.

"Oh, good," Maria muttered quickly. "A warm-up to the mind-controlling roboticist. Great; just great." The Reploid got up from her seat and started after her combat partner. "At least I might be able to work out some of my nervousness."


	15. Chapter 15

Maria aimed her Buster at the figure in front of her and abruptly fired in their direction. "This is the third fight we've had today, and only _now_ these guys decide to show up?"

"They probably tried to take on others before getting here," Cap replied with a grunt. "The Enchantress probably wanted to go after _Thor_ and she fought us first, remember?" He pushed back against the sword that had a managed to land on his shield, causing the figure holding it to slide back: a man dressed completely in purple -- including his face -- and wearing what looked like could have been a prince's outfit.

The eyes of the villain narrowed. "You _will_ fall!"

"Cap, move!" Maria yelped, dashing away as her own opponent aimed a giant cannon at where she had been standing.

The Avenger heard the Reploid's statement and moved to the left just as Crimson Dynamo released a blast of energy. Stars were sent flying in every direction as the blast landed on the purplish, circular platform the combatants were standing on.

"Now _that's_ what I call a gun!" the gigantic robot suit exclaimed, laughing.

"You _fool!"_ Baron Zemo roared, his entire body smoking as a result of the blast. "You hit me!"

Maria snorted, then glanced across the platform at Cap, who looked annoyed as a result of the sword-toting villain's yelling. The Reploid held her left hand back behind her, and fire started to gather into a sphere shape that constantly condensed.

"I didn't hit _you_ ," Dynamo replied with a growl. "I was aiming for the girl!" He pointed in Maria's direction just seconds before a large ball of fire was sent flying in his direction.

"Fire Sphere!" Maria called out just as the ball of fire exploded over the robot suit. "Bet you can't do that, you hunk of junk!"

"Hunk of junk?!" Dynamo turned to face the Reploid, and it sounded like he was trying to snarl at the blue-eyed figure standing in front of him. "This isn't a hunk of junk, you little twerp!"

"She is baiting you, you fool!" Zemo hissed. "Do not let your temper get the better of you!"

 _Wham!_ Cap's shield was rammed into the purple-costumed villains' side, causing Zemo to go flying a short distance.

"And _you_ shouldn't be letting your guard down!" Dynamo replied. His armor was suddenly peppered by yellow Buster shots from Maria, but they did nothing along the lines of melting holes or creating dents. Instead, small sparks of electricity started to come out from where the energy bullets hit.

"What the -- hey!" Dynamo turned and glared at the Reploid. "You're damaging my systems!"

"That's the whole idea," Maria muttered, smirking. She continued to pepper Dynamo's armor, specifically aiming for joints as she moved around in order to avoid the villain's own brand of attacks: large energy blasts and bullets were sent from a large machine gun. "And I'm going to make sure that I'm going to take you down!"

"Hah!" Zemo cackled as he pushed Cap back, sending the Avenger stumbling back a few feet. He pointed his sword at the Reploid "I doubt a child like you would be able to do anything against us."

Maria didn't even bother to look over in the purple villain's direction while charging up her Buster; however, instead of yellow or the default orange, the cannon seemed to be pulling in blue energy.

Right when Cap's shield went slamming into Zemo's back, Maria fired a Charged Shot from her Buster; a blue blast of energy came flying out and connected with Dynamo's leg, leaving behind a glittering ice growth.

"Heh heh." Maria grinned, then suddenly dashed forward using her boosters, bringing her left fist back. A moment later, said fist had connected with the ice and caused not only it to shatter, but the armor was cracked as well.

"Yes!" Maria pulled back as Dynamo brought his fist down where she had been standing a moment ago. "Now to break the rest of him!"

"You're not going to be breaking anything," Dynamo replied. A large barrel of some sort of weapon suddenly came up in front of Maria's face, and the. There was a flicker of light at the back of the barrel before a large river of fire came flying out.

"Maria!" Cap exclaimed in alarm, once again being pushed back by Zemo and his sword.

The fire was suddenly sucked into a whirlpool of sorts that condensed around Maria's form before dissipating, revealing the Reploid standing with her arms out and her eyes shut...without any burns or melted pockets in her armor.

Dynamo took a step back. "What--"

Maria dropped her arms and opened her eyes. A sinister smirk appeared on her face. "Flash Fire's up and active. Thanks for the recharge." Her Buster shifted back to her regular hand as her own fire started to work its way from her fingers to her elbows. "Now it's my turn. Let's see what happens when I use White Flare at a quarter of its power."

Maria's blue eyes flashed brightly as she dashed towards Dynamo again, the orange/red fire on her arms turning into white sparks. "Let's go! 25 percent!"

A shockwave-like blast of white, sparking fire was sent in Dynamo's direction and quickly merged with his armor. A loud scream suddenly resounded through the stage, and Dynamo collapsed, smoking.

"What did you do?!" Dynamo demanded. "I can't move!"

Maria gained a surprised expression, then grinned. "Cool! I shorted him out!"

Seconds later, there came what sounded like a bell going off, and Zemo was sent flying onto his back. He landed near Maria's feet, comical swirls taking the place of his eyes.

The brown-haired Reploid grinned, and she looked up at Cap as he came over. Her blue eyes were shining with delight. "Nice! We pretty much took them down at the same time!"

"Looks like it," Cap agreed. He glanced back at Dynamo, whose armor was letting off sparks. His entire form could be seen struggling to move, but it was pretty clear that he was failing spectacularly. "And without doing all that much damage to each other, either."

"Unlike with the Enchantress and Loki," Maria agreed. She chuckled. "Man, am I glad that they couldn't become intangible when they were trying to concentrate on controlling _you_."

Cap gained an annoyed look. "I don't see how that situation was funny, Maria."

"What was funny was that I made it backfire by getting you to ram into them and break their control. I _loved_ the look that came over Loki's face when you got him in the stomach!" The Reploid gained a goofy grin. "It gave me enough time to get the Enchantress KO'd, at least."

 _*You hit her so hard, I'm surprised that you didn't leave a blood stain on that star*_ Inferno noted dryly. _*Her head is harder than most humans*_

 _Or I didn't actually hit her that hard,_ Maria mentally responded.

_*That too*_

The area around Cap and Maria began to warp, changing from what looked like a universe in the center of a collection of universes to an old building with high-vaulted ceilings, like the dining hall. However, this new stage looked like it had been made out of metal, and was now starting to rust. Peeling murals ran around the entire room, depicting a certain blue-armored kid with a cannon for his right arm taking on others in strange costumes and strange auras about them.

Maria caught sight of this and sucked in a breath through her teeth. "This...it looks like it used to be part of a boss stage or something."

Cap sent her a curious look. "Boss stage?"

"Yeah...." The Reploid swallowed nervously, then pointed across the room at the two figures that had suddenly materialized. "One of his -- a _final_ boss stage."

Wily cackled. "Today is that day you both will fall to my wrath!" he exclaimed, grinning like the madman he was.

Maria snorted, doing her best to keep whatever nervousness and fear she had buried. "Yeah, sure. Like I'm going to be believe that, Bat Ears!"

As soon as Maria had uttered her retort, the cloaked figure standing next to Wily suddenly dashed forward. A yellow and purple cannon appeared from under the brown fabric, and it fired a large, purple blast in the Reploid's direction.

Maria moved quickly, avoiding the blast, a look of surprise appearing on her face before it turned to shock. This was _definitely_ something she hadn't been expecting.

"That's Bass' charged Buster shot!" Maria identified. "He's the one Robot Master that rebelled against Wily some time ago -- a few years, at least!"

Wily cackled. "Do you really think that, Maria? Bass is back under my control now!" A sinister grin appeared on his face. "And soon, you will be, as well!"

The hood of the brown cloak fell back, revealing Bass' face. The purple crystal lodged in the robot's head was glowing brightly. His eyes, instead of their usual purple color, were completely black.

Maria sucked in a breath as a chill was sent down her spine. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes! Bass -- destroy her human friend!"

 ***With pleasure*** Bass replied coldly. The robot turned and started running at Captain America, who raised his shield just before Bass might have rammed into him. The controlled Wilybot rammed into the Avenger anyway, pushing Cap back and away from Maria.

As Cap was being pushed into a corner, Wily started to approach Maria, who was standing in a defensive position, not sure whether she should run or not.

"You're mine," Wily stated with a grin as he pulled out a remote-like device from a pocket of his lab coat.

Maria fired a Fire Sphere at Wily, retorting, "Not on your life!" She leapt up into the air, activating the jets in her boots. "You're not getting control of me again! Not ever!" If she still had an actual heart, it would have been going at a mile a second at facing her fear.

"Fear makes one courageous," Maria muttered under her breath, in a tone that Wily would have been unable to hear. "Fear makes one courageous...but why do I still _feel_ like a coward?!"

To this point, Wily pointed his remote at the Reploid and pressed the large, blue button that took up most of the space. Maria didn't register it until a moment later, when a stream of data entered her head.

The Reploid let out a scream of pain as her boosters gave out; she crashed into the floor on her knees, doubled over and gripping her head with her teeth clenched.

 _*No no no no no!*_ Inferno's voice echoed through Maria's mind as data streamed in and started to work away at what was already there. _*You are_ not _going to do this! Not today!*_

Over in a corner, where Cap was defending himself from Bass' attacks with his shield, the Avenger yelled a near-unidentified phrase, which disappeared into the loud clangs of Bass' fists connecting with Vibranium. All the same, his voice did manage to reach Maria's ears...and Inferno's, to a certain extent.

 _*Yes!*_ the woman's voice crowed. _*About scrapping time, Avenger!*_

Maria's entire body started to glow brightly; the light would have forced others to look away, but Cap and Wily still kept their eyes glued on the Reploid.

As the glow continued to come off Maria's form, there came the sound of something cracking near Wily. The mad scientist looked down, and his eyes widened in alarm as he watched his remote suddenly shatter like it had been hit.

"What is this?" Wily demanded, glaring at the remote before turning his attention to Maria.

The light condensed inward, then suddenly exploded outward in all directions, revealing the Reploid...but in a new form of sorts, if the change of her armor's color meant anything.

Wily frowned and grit his teeth in annoyance, but before he could yell out anything, Maria suddenly shot up and over towards Cap, then lashed out at Bass with a blast of red, white, and blue fire that looked like it could have been fireworks.

"You stay away from the Captain," Maria growled darkly, her eyes narrow.

Cap blinked in surprise upon hearing the anger in the Reploid's voice. When Maria turned slightly and looked back at him, the Avenger saw the result of the transformation because of the code he had spoken.

Maria's armor had shifted: red on her boots, "underarmor," and from her elbows to her gloves, which retained her white color. On her upper arms -- as well as the armor on her stomach -- white dominated. Her shoulder guards, chest, and abdomen were colored a deep blue, except for the stars that were on her shoulder guards and the one large one was on her chest.

"What are your orders?" Maria asked, her blue eyes serious. "Bass and Wily aren't going to just give up."

Cap gave a nod. "Keep Bass busy. I'll take care of Wily."

Maria gave a nod. "Got it." She turned her glare on Bass, who had been standing nearby with a perpetual sinister grin on his face.

"Bass!" Wily barked. "Change targets to the Reploid!"

 ***Understood*** Bass responded stiffly. He dashed forward and barreled at Maria, who suddenly pulled up a shield of fire to defend herself. It appeared as though Cap's shield was emblazoned within it.

"You're not going to destroy anyone here," Maria growled darkly. She took a step forward, pushing the shield against Bass and forcing him back. "I don't want to destroy you--it doesn't work with my own morals. I'm just going to keep you busy until Captain Rodgers takes care of Dr. Wily."

 ***You are only destined for destruction!*** Bass barked in reply. He brought his cannon back, charged it up, and fired at Maria's shield, causing an explosion of smoke.

Captain America, who had been heading towards Wily, paused and looked back at Maria and Bass as soon as he heard the explosion. When the smoke cleared, however, he returned his attention to Wily...who had pulled out another remote and was grinning wickedly.

"....." Maria, head bowed, her eyes hidden under a few locks of hair lowered her hand. The fire shield that had withstood the attack came down with it. "....So be it." She brought her right hand back, morphing it into her Buster as she brought her head up and gave Bass a look that clearly said she was ready for battle. "You'll be leaving this place in stasis!"

Maria's Buster came forward, and a blast of orange energy was sent flying toward Bass. The Wilybot dodged the attack, however, and came dashing at Maria, his left fist coming forward in order to punch the Reploid.

Maria took a step back in order to avoid the oncoming swing, then raised her left hand, covered it in flames, and slammed her fist down on Bass' head.

Bass let out a strangled growl when Maria's fist connected with his head. The purple gem on his forehead dimmed for a moment before regaining strength.

Maria raised an eyebrow upon seeing the light flicker, but she said nothing, and her facial expression didn't change beyond that. At the back of her mind, the data from the fight was starting to form together to create an observation....

Meanwhile, Cap was having a bit of a difficult time against Wily. The madman had somehow managed to summon some sort of giant machine that looked like a bright red flying saucer with all manner of weapons. The Avenger was spending most of his time dodging and sending the energy bursts back at Wily's weapon, and while that was doing some damage, it wasn't enough to bring the UFO down.

Bass suddenly grabbed Maria's left arm and flipped her over, causing the Reploid to land on her back behind the Wilybot. Maria started to get to her feet, but Bass was on top of her in an instant, his MegaBuster aimed at her head.

Maria didn't even flinch. Instead, she forced her Buster and her left fist into Bass' chest. The Wilybot on top of her was forced to move back, and Maria quickly got to her feet before sending a ball of red, white, and blue fireworks into Bass' back. An explosion of light and sound sent sparklers in all directions...and caused Bass to start _gagging_.

Maria took a step back upon seeing the robot in front of her start to heave, remaining on his hands and knees while his black eyes dilated into slits and the purple gem on his for head flickered like a light bulb that was about to give out.

After about half a minute, Bass let out a loud cough, and a small, black and green square flew out of his mouth and dropped to the ground, sparking and smoking.

For a moment, Bass's arms threatened to give out and collapse underneath him, but the robot shook his head and started to stand up, rubbing the purple gem on his forehead like a human might rub their temples when they had a headache.

Maria remained tense until Bass turned his head to look at her, and upon seeing that his eyes had reverted to their normal purple shade, the Reploid relaxed slightly.

Bass blinked in confusion upon seeing Maria in her Captain America-themed armor, but then he caught sight of Wily's UFO-like transport going off against the Avenger. A growl resounded from his throat.

"Wily." Bass started towards the machine, but Maria stepped in front of him. A frustrated look appeared in his purple eyes. "Let me pass! I'm gonna make him pay for making me swallow that thing!"

Maria's eyes narrowed slightly. "You can't do that. The Tournament has you registered as battle partners. You cannot harm him here."

Bass let out a growl of annoyance. "Then help that guy take him down! Some shield isn't going to do anything against his weapons!"

Maria frowned slightly, then turned her head in order to look at the situation Cap was in. At the same time, the glass bubble that had been protecting Wily was suddenly cracked by the Avenger's shield hitting against it.

Wily, whose face happened to be directly behind the crack, let out a laugh that couldn't be heard -- it was obvious that he thought that Cap's shield not getting through to him was funny,

The Reploid inclined her head, then raised her Buster and fired a blast of tri-colored energy at the glass bubble. The energy blast hit the crack dead-center, and the fireworks that followed created a large hole in the glass...and left Wily covering his eyes.

"Hey! No fair, blinding me!" the roboticist exclaimed.

Cap took advantage of Wily's distraction and threw his shield up through the brand new hole in the glass bubble; the shield landed on Wily's control panel and promptly did damage to his controls. The UFO started to go down, the panel releasing smoke.

"No!" Wily exclaimed as his transport careened out of control. "I was supposed to win this time! I was supposed to win!"

"Maria get him out of there!" Cap ordered, looking back at the Reploid.

"Yes, sir!" Maria dashed forward, using her boosters to move quickly and get her airborne in order to drag Wily out of the transport before it hit the ground and exploded into smithereens.

Maria landed on the ground, holding Wily's hands behind his back and making sure that neither one of them ended up tripping as a result of hitting the ground. "Every time a villain says that, it ends up worse off for them. Next time, don't make a fool of yourself."

Wily looked back at the Reploid in confusion, but said nothing when he saw the serious look on Maria's face.

Cap and Bass came over, the former eyeing the Wilybot suspiciously before turning his attention to the scientist.

"Wily, this is the end of your scheme," Cap declared. "I'm sure Chaos will know what to do with you."

Wily's eyes widened, and he shrunk down a little. "No, please! I...I--"

"Shut up," Maria growled. "If you can't think of anything, don't babble."

Wily shut up.

The rusty room with the MegaMan-style murals started to warp and change; in seconds, the group of four was standing back in the dining hall.

Bass looked around in blank confusion. "Whoa. Wasn't expecting _that_ to happen."

"Where has your head been this whole time?" Maria asked in response.

"Hey, I don't remember anything beyond getting turned some kind of animal thing and getting that computer chip forced down my throat." Bass glared at Maria out of annoyance, but then his expression became more of a frown of curiosity. "And what happened to _you?_ That armor isn't what Light gave you."

Maria didn't answer, and moved her eyes to the back of Wily's head as other figures started to appear around them. Heroes and villains alike looked at the group of four in surprise while Wily looked back and became increasingly nervous.

One figure -- the blue hedgehog wearing the sci-fi space uniform, the helmet's visor still over the upper half of his face -- walked over to the four.

"I'll take him to the No Zone," the hedgehog stated, looking up at Maria.

Maria glanced over at Cap, and the Avenger gave a slight nod. The Reploid then shifted her grip on Wily's wrists so that Zonic could place his own brand of handcuffs over them. As soon as the cuffs had snapped shut, Maria removed her hands from Wily's arms and stepped back, placing her hands behind her own back. She watched quietly as Zone Cop and arrested criminal disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the dining hall with one less villain.

"OK, now that that's taken care of...." Bass looked around the area, an annoyed look in is purple eyes. "Can someone tell me what in the name of Light's beard is going on?!"

 _"All will be answered in due time, Bass,"_ Chaos responded as he stepped forward. _"Rock is still here, despite his creator's absence, I am sure he can explain the situation to you well enough."_

Bass closed one purple eye as he thought about this. "What about her?" He jabbed a thumb in Maria's direction; the Reploid didn't even bother to glance at Bass, instead keeping her eyes set on the space in front of her.

Cap frowned for a moment, then walked over to the Reploid and placed a hand on her left shoulder. Maria's eyes shifted as the Avenger leaned down and murmured something that only she could hear.

Maria's eyes widened slightly, and her armor flashed, reverting to its original red, orange, and gray coloring. Seconds later, she visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Whoo! What a rush!" Maria looked up at Cap and grinned. "I'm glad it worked out like it did. Maybe now Wily can get what's coming to him."

"Even if you didn't turn him into a pretzel?" Bass asked, smirking.

The blue-eyed Reploid shot the robot an annoyed look. "I meant that as a joke, you moron!"

"You've got a weird sense of humor, then," Bass noted dryly. He frowned. "Speaking of which, what was it with you a minute ago? You were as stiff-faced as ShadowMan!"

Maria blinked, then found that everyone present had their eyes on her as they waited patiently -- or impatiently, depending on the person -- for an answer.

The Reploid let out a sigh. "Well, looks like there's no avoiding it." She turned her attention to Bass. "That was the Protocol."

Bass' purple eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"Double-check your memory banks, then."

"But the Doc said it was--"

"There must've been something that he forgot about, then."

"What are you talking about?" Stark suddenly demanded.

Maria's head turned sharply, causing her brown hair to fly up for a moment. She gave the Avenger a dark look. "It's really none of your business. There's something I have to bear because of events in the past, and it isn't something to speak lightly of. The only reason Bass knows is because he was there when it happened, and Cap knows only because of the situation we were in." The Reploid crossed her arms in annoyance. "It's my burden to bear. If anyone is going to know what the Protocol is, it's my choice to tell them."

"Sheesh, you don't have to get defensive about it," Stark muttered. "I was just asking."

Maria closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Sorry. I can't quite let go of what happened before."

 _"It is understandable,"_ Chaos replied. _"Dark times stay with us for longer than the better ones, but only if we let them."_

"Mmmm." Maria gave a nod, then opened her eyes. "Yeah. And you'd know that better than anyone else." She nodded to the Mewtwo. "I'll keep that in mind."

 _"Good. Because you won't be having another chance to use that new ability of yours."_ Chaos smirked. _"From here on in, all activities are solely tournament-based free-for-alls."_

Maria's eyes widened, and she looked over at Cap, who glanced down at her with a slightly guarded look. A smile appeared on the Reploid's face. "Well, looks like this is it. It was fun getting to work with you."

Cap gave a slight smile and nodded in response.

"What about us?" Loki suddenly demanded. The Asgardian looked annoyed. "Are you going to send us back to that No Zone?"

Chaos frowned slightly, then shook his head. _"The instigators of the brawl were Wily and the Joker. So long as the latter is kept in check, you may continue to compete here."_

"Good, because I am looking forward to facing my brother without that rodent of his." Loki sent a glowering look in Thor's direction, and the yellow mouse on the hammer-toting Asgardian's shoulder glared back.

"Hey."

Maria blinked, then turned to look at Bass with somewhat of a blank look. "What?"

"I hope we end up running into each other in this tournament thing, because I'm going to kick your butt!"

Maria gained a wide grin. "As if! You're not going to last five minutes against me!"

"We'll see about that!" Bass expression turned into a wild, eager grin. "You haven't seen what I've been doing in order to train! You're not going to last a second against me!"

Maria laughed. "Sure. Right."

In the back of Maria's head, Inferno let out a groan. _*You two....*_


	16. Chapter 16

Two days after Wily had been arrested, Maria awoke from her slumber with a gasp as she sat up as stiff as a board.

"Chaos...." Maria ran her gloved hands through her hair in an attempt to rein it into its usual style. It was also an attempt in order to bring herself to calm down. "What _was_ that? It looked like Mobius, but...Neo-Mobius doesn't look like _that_ anywhere that I know of." The Reploid rubbed her temples as she tried to make her newfound headache dissipate. "It looked like a vision, but...."

 _*Is_ that _what it was? Because it looked like some sort of warped, color blind memory*_

"Inferno... _please_ don't talk right now. I've got a nasty headache at the moment." Maria slipped out of bed and glanced over at the monitor, which showed the most up-to-date leaderboard. The name "Link" was emblazoned in the first place slot, followed by Chaos and Captain America. "I know Chaos didn't do anything to my head, but I think he might have gone overboard a little with trying to make me a compacted metal cube when he clobbered me."

_*Data simulation, remember?*_

"Yeah...so this must be an after-effect of the dream." Maria frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, headache now gone. "Which, considering past experiences, makes it a vision. But of _what?_ " The Reploid growled in annoyance. "Maybe Chaos can make something of it."

Maria walked over to the warp panel and stepped out into the dining hall, where a good time was certainly being had by most -- except for the Joker, who, after having every single gadget of his taken away, simply sat and moped about at the far end of the table. Everyone avoided him, anyway, so if the clown had any pranks left, there was no one for him to really try them on.

Finding an open seat on the more active side of the table, Maria sat down between Captain America and Bass, who had decided to stick around even after Maria had managed to clobber him spectacularly with her patented White Flare. Oddly enough, the 'bot had stuck close to Stark and Shadow after Batman and Nightwing had left for their home world. The trio weren't actually seen _together_ , but Bass spent so much time with either one that they were just seen as a group.

"Something up, 'Ria?"

Maria blinked as she came out of her thoughts, registering the new nickname she had suddenly picked up from a certain robot. She cast her blue eyes in Bass' direction. "I had a vision last night, that's all." She poured herself a glass of orange juice and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.

"A vision?" Cap repeated from Maria's right.

"Uh huh. I get them every once in a while when a world needs help. Problem is, I'm not sure what world it _is_ that I have to go to." The Reploid motioned towards a pair of teenage boys sitting near the head of the table. "I thought at first that it was from Neo-Mobius -- the Pokemon World -- because of the Mobians and Pokemon I was seeing. But I didn't find any landmarks that I recognized."

"What's that supposed to mean, then?" Bass asked, frowning.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out. It could be that I'm looking at an alternate version of Mobius, but I'm still not sure. I'm hoping to ask Chaos about it."

_"And you are correct in saying that it is an alternate realm."_

Maria felt a chill go up and down her spine. "Chaos, stop sneaking up on people like that!" She turned and glared at the Mewtwo, who gave an amused smirk.

 _"I happened to be walking by,"_ Chaos replied with a shrug.

Maria let out a sigh of annoyance and rolled her eyes, then blinked for a moment. A frown came over her face. "You said it was an alternate dimension that I was seeing."

_"Correct. I have to say, it's about time that you discovered that realm."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Cyrus and Charon's teleportation signal was tracked to a location called 'Second Mobius' mere days after you left with the other children. It would only have been a matter of time before you discovered where they had gone."_

Maria stiffened, and her eyes widened. "No way...those two goons went to _Mobius?!"_ She let out a groan. "Great...I bet they've already partnered up with their version of Eggman."

Somewhere on the table, there was the sound of a man coughing and hacking as something went down the wrong pipe.

"Of course!" The man who had been formerly known as Eggman -- now known as Kintobor the Reformed -- wiped his mouth with one of his sleeves before looking over at Maria. "We had been picking up inter-dimensional signals that weren't involved in kidnapping children -- he must have been speaking with another me!"

"Then it makes sense that he would go to another Mobius when everything went south on his world!" Maria continued. "The fact that he dragged Charon along with him is going to make everyone even worse off, though." She got up from her seat. "I've gotta go and set things right before they _really_ go south on their world."

 _"When you find them, bring them back here,"_ Chaos stated, nodding to Maria. _"I will leave the doors to this dimension open so that Zonic can pick the two up and make sure they don't cause any more trouble."_

Maria nodded in agreement. "Not a bad idea. It'll keep them out of doing trouble for some time more." A frown came over her face. "But I doubt that I can bring what I have in my room with me to Second Mobius...."

_"I can send that ahead to your home, or keep it here. The choice is up to you."_

Maria's frown deepened. "Hmmm...leave it here. If I'm going to be coming back with the two Galactic Goons, I may as well pick up my stuff then. Thanks, Chaos."

_"It is no problem on my part."_

Maria gave the Mewtwo a smile, then shifted it into a serious expression as she turned to face the wall. She brought up her right hand, and a blue portal appeared in front of her. The Reploid started towards the portal, but then stopped and turned halfway to look back at those sitting at the table.

"Guys, thanks for letting me come to this," Maria stated with a half smile. "It really was an honor to be able to come and be with you guys like this."

The were a few murmurings from those at the table that were from anywhere between, "The pleasure was mine" to "Just get going already!"

Maria smirked, then turned to look at the portal again and stepped through.

**Change in POV (Maria)**

I stepped out of the portal and into a metal corridor that was almost completely white were it not for the fact that there were a bunch of vertical, gray stripes at regular intervals. And the tiled floor was the same color.

Oh, yeah...and there was a green echidna with golden eyes and a white crescent-like shape on his chest standing in front of me.

Now, I've seen echidnas before -- Knuckles and Juli-Su, specifially -- but I haven't seen a _green_ one with a crescent mark before. I wonder if they're common on this specific world.

"Hi," I greeted cautiously, but not in a completely nervous tone like I might have before. "Name's Maria White. I heard that you guys were having a little trouble with a couple guys from another planet."

The echidna's gold eyes widened. "Maria White?" he repeated. A serious look came over his face. "We weren't expecting you to actually get here after the other two, but the more the merrier, I guess."

I blinked. "Other two?"

"Yeah. Khrista and Joshua."

I stiffened as soon as I heard this. Those two were here?!

I was about to respond to the echidna's statement, but then the entire hallway rumbled a little. The echidna looked a little startled, but not completely unfazed.

"All right," I stated. "What's going on? This looks like some sort of base."

"It is. Kintobar's."

"Kintobar?" Was that their version of Eggman?

Another rumble shook the hallway.

"Khrista is taking on Cyrus right now, but maybe you can help me out," the echidna stated. He motioned for me to follow him, and he started jogging down the corridor. I followed right on his heels.

"You mind bringing me up to speed?" I asked as we went. "I'd kind of like to know what you're doing around here."

"Sarah and Sabre decided that enough was enough and announced an attack on Kintobar's closest base in broad daylight. We've been here since the start of the solar cycle, and we're not going to leave until we're certain that the robotosizing unit here has been taken out. Joshua went to do that with Sarah. Khrista was supposed to follow them after working in from another end of the base, but she got cut off from us when Cyrus attacked. Her comlink isn't working, either, so she doesn't know if we're moving forward or backwards."

"Okay. I'm with you so far."

"I'm supposed to help find out if Kintobar has any Chaos Rings lying around, but so far I haven't had any luck."

"Chaos _Rings?_ "

"They are like the Chaos Emeralds of other worlds."

"Oh, I see. Khrista and Joshua must have explained that side of the situation, then."

The echidna nodded. "We already have two, and Quill suspects there may be more in Kintobar's possession. We're trying to find them before he gets his hands on a powerful weapon of mass destruction that attracts the Rings."

"Gotcha." Sheesh, there's a lot of stuff going on. And Khrista's taking on Cyrus -- man, she's got guts. I wonder if he managed to drag his Pokemon team with him.

Speaking of dragging....

"What about Charon?" I asked.

"You mean Finitivus? He's fighting Quill, as far as I know."

"He went back to his original name?"

I heard the echidna answer, but something blocked out his words as a headache suddenly came on. I stopped short and closed one eye to see if there was anything going on in my systems.

_Communications uplink requested. Program update requested._

Yeah no. I'm not on Neo-Earth, so this definitely isn't Light's doing. I leaned against the wall as I denied the requests and pushed them off for now. I was getting the feeling that they were going to come back.

That's when something else suddenly showed up -- and it looked kind of like a map for some reason...I realized seconds later that this was probably a map of the complex....

"What's going on with you?"

I looked over at the green echidna, who was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Nothing that you should be worried about," I replied. "Seems that some bozo is trying to get into my head using a wireless connection or something." I moved the map to a corner of my vision so that I could monitor my progress later. There was a place that looked like some sort of lab. "At least they sent me a map, and it looks like there's a place that I need to check out."

The echidna's frown deepened. "Let me come with you. If anything, the Ring I'm looking for might be where you're going."

"Maybe." I offered a smile, then turned and looked down the corridor. "Come on -- it's this way."

The two of us ran down the corridor, me leading the way at each turn we had to take.

"Kind of odd that there aren't any robots trying to stop us," I remarked.

"Quill has friends keeping most of them busy outside," the green echidna replied. "Besides, Hambei and Kambei destroyed his factory room already."

Hambei and Kambei...that sounds like a pair of boys. And, if anything, they sound like the two characters who were so integral to one game that spoke of Neo-Mobius' Pokemon history.

"And what are those two?" I asked aloud.

"Hedgehogs."

Well, then. I wasn't expecting it, but then again, hedgehogs are pretty good at destroying an Eggman's toys.

I suddenly got an alert up in one corner, and the lights around us flickered as another earthquake struck. If anything, Khrista was most likely using that attack against whatever Cyrus was doing. The alert was about a bunch of power being siphoned from the main generators and being sent to that lab for....oh, Chaos. Not good. Not good at all.

"Sorry, buddy, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to leave you behind in my dust," I stated without so much as glancing at the echidna.

"What's going on?" he asked seriously.

"Someone's about to get Robotosized, and I'm not about to let that happen."

I jumped into the air as my boosters activated, and I flew forward at high speed down the corridor, leaving the green echidna far behind. No way was anybody on this planet getting turned into a killing machine while I was around.


	17. Chapter 17

It didn't take me too long in order to reach the lab's location. The problem, though, was that standing in front of a steel door was a white fox with three tails pounding on the metal. And it didn't look like the door was about to budge so easily, either.

I walked over to stand next to the white fox, and she looked at me in shock and surprise -- no doubt because I'd just appeared out of nowhere. A determined frown came over her face.

"I'm not here to fight you," I stated, glancing over at the Mobian. "I'm here to help."

Her blue eyes widened in surprise. "What do you--"

"I'll explain later, I think." I motioned to the door. "What's going on?"

"One of our allies is trapped in there. I think...." The fox looked worried. "I think he's going to be Robotosized if I don't get in there and stop it!"

This definitely isn't good.

My Buster formed, and I aimed it at the door. Energy started to build up seconds later. "You might want to get out of the way. I don't know how the metal's going to react."

The fox quickly moved out of the way, her blue boots scraping against the floor. I knew I'd seen that design somewhere before....

No, can't think about that now; I've got to get this door down.

I promptly fired a Charged Shot at the door, bracing myself so that I wouldn't get thrown back by the recoil. The orange energy blast actually managed to go through the door and melt a pretty large hole. I fired in other areas, aiming to make a hole large enough for me to be able to get through. In the process, I think I might have done some damage to the stuff on the other side.

When the hole was large enough, I blasted through using my boosters to get me airborne, then started working on taking out the rest of the machinery. Most of my blasts were aimed towards one side of the room, where it looked like there was a human figure trapped inside a glass cylinder. They weren't moving either.

OK, so I might have ended up panicking a little bit and completely destroyed every single machine connected to the Robotosizer. Then I destroyed the machine itself by blasting the glass to smithereens before reverting my Buster back to my right hand. When the figure fell to the ground, unconscious, I couldn't really believe what I was looking at. Or who, for that matter.

Lying there on the ground was a teenage boy -- maybe about sixteen or seventeen years old. A mass of brown hair sat messily atop his head, and it actually looked a little burnt. And his armor...oh, Chaos, the kid looked like an alternate version of MegaMan X if just his armor was taken into account: gray underarmor like mine, then cobalt boots, forearms, and shoulder guards; and white gloves on his hands. After that, all resemblance to Light's Reploid ended severely. Especially considering that a lot of the rest of him was colored in _lime green_ and a dusty blue type of shade.

I bent down and started to lift the boy up so that I could see how exactly the rest of him fared. When I got him fully onto his feet, I nearly dropped him.

Eyes closed or not, I recognize a neighbor when I see one.

The white fox ran over to stand next to me. I glanced over and saw that her blue eyes were wide with shock.

"No...Joshua...." the Mobian murmured. Her three tails twitched in worry. "Do you think he's...." It was obvious that she didn't want to finish the sentence.

"I don't know," I replied grimly. "And we won't know unless he wakes up sometime soon." I gripped his waist and threw Joshua over one shoulder, then blinked in surprise. "He's definitely lighter than I thought...."

 _*That would probably be your robotic strength doing its job*_ Inferno stated sarcastically. _*He's made of lighter materials, too*_

I made a note of that and decided to ask Inferno how she knew stuff like that later. Right now, there were other things that needed to be taken care of.

I looked over at the fox. "The green echidna I ran into on my way here mentioned that Cyrus and Finitivus are in the building. Do you have any idea as to where they are?"

The fox's eyes widened. "Hannibal might know. But you're going to need this if you want to contact him." She took some sort of device out of her left ear and held it out to me.

I frowned. "Are you sure that you want to give this to me?"

"If Verdun didn't attack you on sight, I think that means you can be trusted." There was a determination in the fox's eyes.

I gave a nod, then took the device and scanned it. My systems picked up the wireless signal that the earpiece was emitting immediately...and tracked it to a brown sack that was sitting on the floor nearby.

"Hmmm?" I glanced over at the sack. "It looks like all the signals are being rerouted through something in there."

Sarah frowned. "How can you tell?"

Oops. Right -- whole Mobians verses robot thing. Kinda forgot about that....

I gave a sheepish smile. "Well, I kinda had to be put in a robotic body, so I guess I can do stuff that other robots can do. I'm still trying to learn the ropes, though." I handed back the device, then started over towards the sack. "My guess is that Joshua put something in here that's emitting a signal so that you guys can stay connected."

I would have gotten to the sack and opened it up if it weren't for the fact that a large beep from the computer caught my attention, followed by a rather evil chuckle that sounded at least _somewhat_ familiar. Glancing over, I figured out why.

"So that's the Kintobar guy the echidna mentioned," I noted, looking over at he bright orange mustache on the screen. Taking note of the mop of orange hair on the man's pointed head, I added, "I kinda pictured him with less hair...."

A scowl appeared on the man's face. _::How dare you! I will have you know that--::_

"I don't need to hear of your 'great accomplishments' or anything like that," I growled shortly. Honestly, I'm surprised now that I had the guts to -- I'm standing in front of a guy who makes a living out of controlling robots. "I'm just here to get Cyrus and Finitivus and leave."

The alternate Eggman's scowl deepened. _::You weren't the one caught in my Robotosizer?::_

Now it was my turn to scowl. "What makes you say that?"

_::Any Overlander who is placed in it now usually have their clothes undergo a transformation into armor::_

"Armor?" I glanced down at myself, then let out a laugh. "This happened earlier this year on another planet, old man!" A grim look came over my face, and I pointed to the limp form of my neighbor slung over my shoulder. _"He's_ the one who went through it, not me." My eyes narrowed. "And I don't like it when my friends are put into physical danger."

Kintobar's eyes seemed to widen behind his dark glasses, but I wasn't able to see what color his real eyes were from where I was standing. At any rate, the glasses didn't fall off from the alternate Eggman's movement, because a frown came over his face a moment later. _::He should be fine. The Robotosizer sequence was started when he was placed in that capsule, and it won't be done until he's completely transformed. Because of his Overlander status, he will keep his free will -- I made sure of that::_

"I don't believe you."

 _::Oh?::_ A cheeky grin came over the man's face. _::Then you might want to check on what the other two conscious Overlanders in the building are doing right this instant, because one of them happens to be a robot presently::_

The screen flickered out, replaced seconds later by what looked like security footage. A man with spiky blue hair and wearing green and white armor was going against a girl with brown hair and a shirt that was almost constantly changing colors.

Changing colors...oh, scrap.

"Khrista and Cyrus!" I identified aloud. Anger flitted across my face. "Where are they?!"

Kintobar's face came back onscreen. _::Oh, you don't need to worry your little head_ too _much. They're in the basement of the southern sector. And the only reason I'm telling you this is because I want that white echidna out of my hair once and for all -- he has caused me enough trouble as it is!::_ He let out a growl of annoyance.

"So you _do_ have a heart in there," I taunted.

Kintobar snarled. _::Just get rid of them!::_ The screen promptly winked out.

"I'll take care of them, but not because you asked so nicely," I sneered at the empty screen. I turned to look at the white fox, who had been watching our conversation with a look of shock on her face. "Are you going to be all right with me leaving you alone here?"

Sarah's blue eyes blinked for a moment, and then she gave a nod. "I'll be fine. You get going."

I gave a nod, then turned and took off out the door, knocking it down and out of my way so that I could get to this "southern sector" that Kintobar had mentioned. The map up in the corner of my vision helped...wait, I didn't ask Kintobar about that! Shoot!

Eh, oh well -- don't really need to worry about that now. I shifted my grip on Joshua and kept going.

As I ran, voices started to murmur in my left ear -- some guy named Hannibal was talking to the echidna -- Verdun, I think Sarah called him. And then there were two other voices that sounded like brothers. They didn't know I was listening in, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

 _Sounds like they found a Chaos Ring,_ I mentally noted.

_*Lucky them. Not everything is going to be found so easily*_

_I kind of gathered that, Inferno._

In case you guys don't know, Inferno is a voice that actually isn't supposed to be in my head. I used to call her "M," and if anyone's going to ask me if Inferno is her real name...it isn't. Even _I_ don't know what her real name is.

Anyway, I was so intent on our short conversation that I ended up running into a metal wall without my notice. That caused Inferno to burst out laughing.

_*Watch where you're going there, kid!*_

"I don't need to take orders from you," I growled, rubbing my nose while scowling in annoyance. I looked over at the wall and found that I was standing at a dead end...even though where I was supposed to be was right on the other side. "Looks like I'm going to have to make my own door." I slipped Joshua off my shoulder and left him to lean against the wall for the moment, then turned my attention to the wall and summoned my ability.

The fire started at my fingers, then worked its way back to my elbows before I forced it forward at the wall and started to form a makeshift door by melting it out. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, though, so I sketched out the door first, then started wearing down the metal.

 _*Increase the power already*_ Inferno growled irritably. _*We don't have all day, kid*_

"Don't you think I know that?" I replied in the same irritated tone. I knew that I could speak to Inferno using my thoughts, but really, I'm a bit more used to muttering aloud than anything else. "I'd like to see you try and get this done faster."

_*...I would accept that challenge if I had my body back right now. But I don't. So, I'll just have to settle for this*_

The fire on my arms suddenly increased in size before bursting forward as though it had a mind of its own. The entire door was cut out in minutes, teetering unevenly for a moment before falling backwards and hitting the metal floor behind it with a metallic _clang._

"What did you just _do?"_ I demanded, letting the fire die. I went over and picked up Joshua again; my neighbor hadn't moved an inch or woken up in the slightest.

 _*Oh, that?*_ Inferno sounded slightly bored, like she was some popular girl examining her nails like they were the least interesting thing in the world. _*I can control fire, too, Maria. Who else unlocked your White Flare ability back in Atlantis? You definitely couldn't have, considering how inexperienced you were*_

If I was looking at her right at that instant, I probably would have seen Inferno grinning.

"You did _what_?" I demanded.

_*You heard me*_

I would have continued the conversation were it not for the fact that there came a sudden explosion from the room that I was about to walk into. I looked in...and I think my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

A large crater had been bent into the ground, and the receiver of the attack had clearly been thrown into the wall -- a white echidna with black stripes and rings all over his arms and legs. And standing _in_ the crater was a sight that I definitely wasn't expecting.

A blue-gray hedgehog with green eyes and wearing purple shoes with a vertical white stripe each. And it looked like he was looking at something on his right wrist....

"Looks like I've used up all the energy for now," the blue-gray hedgehog muttered.

My eyes widened. "Whoa...." If this guy could take out Finitivus with one shot... _and_ look like that...he must be either a Shadow or a Sonic. Taking his coloring and shoe style into account, he's more likely Sonic than Shadow.

I decided to see how friendly this hedgehog was, and did my best to put on a calm face. I'd seen Mobians before, so it wasn't too difficult.

"That wasn't too bad of an attack," I stated, stepping through my door and into the room.

The hedgehog's ear twitched, and he turned his head in order to catch sight of the source of my voice. His green eyes widened when he saw me and my unconscious neighbor.

"It looks like you've knocked Finitivus out," I quickly added, stopping a few steps away from the hedgehog. "I doubt he was expecting that from a speedster."

The blue-gray hedgehog's green eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

I blinked for a moment, then smiled sheepishly. "I guess I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name's Maria White -- I'm one of Khrista's friends."

The hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "White...." He glanced over at Finitivus. "He mentioned something about a child named White knowing about his transformation."

"Yeah...I know something about it." I walked over to the echidna and grabbed him by the dreadlocks. I lifted the black and white echidna up, getting a groan out of the Mobian. "Especially since I took out these guys the first time they tried to take over their home world." I glared at Finitivus for a moment, then gave a wry smirk and looked over at the hedgehog when another thought came to my mind. "Mind keeping an eye on him for a little while? I don't want to end up making two trips in order to get two criminals to the jail that they deserve to be in."

"So, you're hunting for them, too."

I gained a serious expression, and I gave a nod. "Yeah. I wasn't able to get here right away, though, and it looks like two of my neighbors beat me to it."

I would have said something else, but then a headache suddenly bloomed from out of nowhere. I flinched and put a hand to my head, covering one eye so that I could see what exactly was in the vision this time.

_A girl with brown hair and blue eyes is grabbed by her hair by a man wearing a strange Galactic uniform. His entire form -- even his hair -- looks strangely metallic. My view suddenly moved up to look at a dent in the ceiling just as the girl let out a scream...._

Wait. A dent in the ceiling? Then that means....

I let out a grunt. "Looks like Khrista's in trouble directly below us." I dropped Finitivus on the ground abruptly, getting another groan from the echidna. Despite how much I wanted to grin upon hearing that, I ignored it, and instead placed Joshua on the ground near the hedgehog's feet before turning and walking towards the center of the room. "Down there...."

The hedgehog blinked, then frowned. "Are you saying that Khrista is directly below us?"

"Yup." I held my right hand out in front of me, pointing my fist at the floor. "And I'm going to go down there right now."

My right hand started to morph, and I had my Buster out and charging in seconds. I kept an eye on the charging's progress bar as it went, and when it reached just beyond what Dr. Light would have suggested to be "technically safe," I let it loose.

The panel of metal directly beneath the attack didn't stand a chance; I blew a large hole big enough for me to fit through easily -- maybe even multiple people. Then I jumped down into the hole and turned my boosters on to keep me from falling _too_ fast.

"Hey, Cyrus!" I called out. "Found you!"

The blue-haired, green-and-white-armored figure turned his head and looked in my direction. I could see his eyes widen in alarm while a grin spread across Khrista's familiar face. All the same, the fact that she was grinning while Cyrus was sticking a sword to her throat. I honestly never knew that he was left-handed.

"No...impossible...." Cyrus' clearly metallic voice was barely understandable from how far I was, but I could still hear his words.

"Maria!" Khrista exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khrista is a character who is in another, shorter series I've written up. That one's only two stories long. I'll start getting those up here soon enough.


	18. Chapter 18

**Maria's POV**

"Now, how about you step away from my neighbor and drop your sword, Goonhead?" I asked with a sly smile. That disappeared pretty quickly, though. "Or else I'm going to blast you to pieces, starting with your legs."

Cyrus pulled away from Khrista, allowing her to breathe without being worried about having her neck run through. "Impossible. You weren't Robotosized when we last met, and Eggman --"

"Kintobor was not the one who did this to me," I replied abruptly. Really, doesn't this guy know anything? My armor's design was clearly _not_ like his. "It was done on another world to save my life, remember?"

_*He wasn't there when you revealed this on Neo-Mobius, remember?*_

I blinked for a moment upon hearing Inferno's voice, then smirked. "Oh, yeah -- you weren't there when I took everyone home, were you?"

"He definitely wasn't," Khrista agreed, starting to walk around Cyrus from the back. Her shirt shifted to sky blue and a deep, fiery red. It looks like she's starting to master her Dual-Type abilities -- about time, considering how long she's been training.

"Well, that explains the fact that he looks like a shaking leaf." The smirk that had been on my face disappeared, and I started to descend, still keeping her Buster trained on the Galactic below. "We're taking you in, Cyrus."

Upon hearing this, Cyrus took a defensive stance. "Correction: I am not going anywhere."

Well. Doesn't that sound non-human.

My eyes widened. "Your wording...you didn't choose 'Robotosized' by accident."

This guy definitely needed to be taken out. Without me so much as twitching, my Buster went off.

Cyrus definitely did _not_ see it coming, because he took the attack and went flying backwards.

"I softened him up for you," Khrista grumbled, scowling.

I gave her a smirk as my Buster retracted, then walked over to Cyrus, being especially careful around what looked like deep cracks. Definitely looks like "Come on; the hedgehog knocked the echidna out with a Chaos Blast on the floor above. It kinda surprised me to see that a version of Sonic could be so much like a Shadow."

"There's a lot more to him than that," Khrista replied.

That tone in her voice...it sounds like there's more to this than meets the eye. I gave her a curious expression, but as soon as she saw the look I was giving her, she shook her head.

"I'll tell you later," Khrista stated. "When this entire problem is over and down with."

"Well, from the visions I got, it seems like these guys are the main problem." I motioned to Cyrus, who was slumped against the wall. I picked him up with a grunt and attempted to put him over one shoulder, but failed and dropped him on the ground with an echoing _clang._

"Sheesh, this guy's heavier than Joshua," I muttered under my breath. I looked over at Khrista. "Mind giving me a hand?"

"Uh...sure." Khrista's shirt shifted, the fiery red becoming the bright orange of the Fighting-Type. She walked over and grabbed Cyrus' feet. "You get one half, and I get the other half?"

"All right." I leaned down and lifted up Cyrus' upper body by his shoulders. I then started to back up towards the hole in the ceiling, watching the ground in order to keep from tripping over those cracks.

As soon as the pair reached the hole in the ceiling, Khrista looked down at my red boots as soon as she heard what sounded like an engine running -- my jet boosters warming up. Then she gave me a strange look.

I shrugged. "Jet boosters."

"Jet boosters?!"

"Are we going to go up or not?" I gave a half-smile, then decided to return the favor from what she had said earlier. "I'll tell you about what happened to me later. For now, let's take care of these two goons."

Khrista probably would have responded were it not for the fact that I promptly took off into the air, forcing her to follow suit. Within minutes, we were back in the room above....where the hedgehog was still standing next to a still-unconscious Joshua.

Khrista took one look at where Finitivus had collapsed, and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Whoa...that was from a Chaos Blast?"

"Yup." How did she know? Has she seen him use an attack like that before?

Khrista and I landed next to the hole and we unceremoniously dropped Cyrus on the ground with another _clang._ I nodded to the blue-gray hedgehog standing nearby. "Thanks for keeping an eye on those two. Did Joshua wake up at all?"

The hedgehog shook his head, looking down at the blue-and-green-armored heap at his feet. "The kid hasn't budged. Kinda makes you wonder if he went brain-dead after going through the Robotosizer."

Khrista stiffened. "He _what?!"_ She dashed over to the blue-and-green armor and quickly looked her cousin over from the feet up: cobalt boots, gray underarmor, cobalt armor protecting his abdomen, gray armor on his stomach, white gloves, cobalt forearms, a dusty blue-and-lime green chest plate, and cobalt shoulder guards.

Khrista looked over her cousin in alarm before looking back me. "Did you run into him or something?"

I shook her head. "I broke into some lab and destroyed the Robotosizer. I just hope that I wasn't too late." I glanced down at Cyrus for a moment, frowning.

 _*Maybe there's a way to check*_ Inferno suggested.

My expression brightened a moment later at the idea. "Maybe I could take him to a couple friends of mine and have them look Joshua over. If anyone would be able to figure anything out, it would be Dr. Light and Kintobor."

"Kintobar?" the blue-gray hedgehog repeated, stiffening.

"No. Kinto _bor_. This Eggman's a good guy." I looked between the three unconscious figures. "Now to get those two back to the Smash Worlds Tournament so that they can be taken to the No Zone, then figure out where to go with Joshua...." I glanced over at Khrista, and curious frown coming over my face. She's going to get pestered a _lot_ by her parents "How did you two get here in the first place, anyway?"

"Uh...." It took Khrista a moment to answer. "...Teleport while holding onto a plain old ring from a robotic Flicky?"

I blinked, then frowned. "Well, in that case...do you think you can Teleport yourself home? Or do I have to take you with me on a roundabout trip? Because I could work with either."

Khrista blinked upon hearing my proposal. "I don't think that me using Teleport is quite safe yet. I mean, the only reason I got here was because I used the extra energy that was left in the ring we found. Who knows what would happen if I used Teleport now? I could end up in, I don't know...an alternate universe or something."

I paused, considering the other teen's statement. She did have a pretty major point -- Teleporting could be a bit more unpredictable than making portals. I was lucky that the only thing that Pokemon were actually allowed to Teleport directly to was the last Pokemon Center their Trainer visited.

I gave a nod. "All right. I'll drop you off at home, but we need to take care of Cyrus and Finitivus first. Do you mind giving me a hand with that?"

"Sure." Khrista walked over and grabbed Cyrus' feet again. "Whenever you're ready."

I blinked. "You want to leave _now_?"

"You may as well," the hedgehog spoke up suddenly. "You have the two that you were looking for. We don't need you in order to take on Kintobar directly."

Khrista looked over at the blue-gray hedgehog, taking note of the serious expression in his eyes. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"The only problems I saw were with things that came from other worlds," I spoke up. "You can stay if you want, Khrista, but we really should leave them be, I think." I picked up Joshua and put him over one shoulder, then I grabbed Finitivus' hands and held onto both their wrists.

Khrista looked back and forth between the hedgehog and I, considering what exactly she could do at this point in time. A frown came over her face, and she asked quietly, "Are you sure?"

Wait a second...I didn't hear anyone speak and suggest her to do anything. And the echidna _did_ say that Khrista's little communication device had been cut off....

Khrista looked over at me and gave a nod, cutting off my train of thought.

"One roundabout trip home, coming up," I stated. I held up my free hand, and blue light exploded out in front of us, forming a swirling whirlpool of blue energy.

The hedgehog'a eyes widened. "How --"

"I'm a World Jumper," I replied lightly. I shrugged. "Kinda comes with the territory." My blue eyes moved to lock with Khrista's identical orbs. "Come on; let's go."

Khrista gave a nod, then the two of us through the portal...

...and out into what appeared to be some sort of hall from a restored castle -- the dining hall of the Smash World's Tournament. The entire place was empty...except for two figures standing a few feet away from them.

"Hi, Chaos!" I greeted cheerily as the portal closed behind us. "We've got them!"

The giant, purple-cat-like Pokemon gave a nod of approval. _"Good. I didn't think it would take you all that long in order to find them."_

"I didn't even get to spend the night." I shrugged.

"I spent three days there, though," Khrista spoke up.

The Mewtwo in front of us turned his head to look over at Khrista, and he inclined his head. _"So you did."_ He looked over at the figure next to him -- a Mobian wearing some sort of sci-fi outfit that was a mixture of colors -- green being among them. Definitely the Zone Cop I ran into earlier during the whole "Wily going off and forcing Bass to do stuff" fiasco -- the Cop known as Zonic. _"Are you willing to take Cyrus and Finitivus to the No Zone, as I requested?"_

The Zone Cop gave a nod. "Those two have caused more than enough trouble for their home world; to escape to another one put us on the alert almost instantly." He pulled a pair of what looked like handcuffs out of nowhere and walked over to the two knocked out figures that we had dragged after us. There were two resounding _clicks_ as the handcuffs clicked around Cyrus' and Finitivus' wrists.

"You might want to be careful with Cyrus," Khrista warned. "He let himself get Robotosized and claimed he was 'perfect' when I ran into him."

I let out a sigh of annoyance and shook my head. "That moron."

Zonic also let out a sigh. "That seems to be common with his alternate selves. Always looking for perfection...." He looked over at the two of us and gave a nod. "Thank you for catching these two criminals." A second later, he vanished with the two criminals in a flash of light.

"Now that that's settled...." I turned and looked at Khrista. I knew exactly what I was going to do with her. "I could go ahead and send you home."

"Now?" Khrista gave me a look of surprise. "What about Joshua?" She motioned to the limp form of her cousin, who was still on my shoulder.

"Like I said before, I'm going to take him to either Dr. Light or Kintobor," I replied calmly. Moments later, a sheepish look crossed my face when something occurred to me. "I honestly didn't think that you'd want to come along."

 _"Perhaps you should have asked Maria,"_ Chaos stated pointedly. A frown came over his face. _"Why would you have to take Joshua to one of those two men, however?"_

"He was Robotosized when neither one of us was looking," I answered grimly. "I came in near the end of the transformation and stopped it, but Joshua hasn't woken up yet."

There came a soft gasp from above their heads, and I moved my eyes as Khrista looked up. My eyes widened in recognition when I saw the black-haired girl sitting above us _in mid-air_ scribbling furiously in a notebook.

That's the kid who was sitting on my bed with my Smash World's Tournament invitation!

"You!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Khrista, who happened to be looking up at the girl, turned and looked back at me in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to know the kid? She mustn't have seen her before, then.

The black hair of the floating girl shifted as she looked up, and green eyes widened when she saw the two of us staring at her.

"Not again," the girl whimpered.

"Again?" Khrista frowned, then looked over at me for an explanation.

"She was sitting on my bed when I came home one day," I replied, not taking my eyes off the girl. "I don't know who she is, but I don't like the look of that notebook of hers."

_"What is your name, child?"_

I glanced over at Chaos, whose eyes were trained on the nervous girl.

 _"You need not be afraid,"_ the Mewtwo continued. _"You are among friends."_

The girl looked nervous all the same, and she ducked her head. "I'm called Scribe," she murmured quietly.

Scribe? What kind of a name is that? Does it have something to do with her notebook?

 _"What are you doing here, Scribe?"_ Chaos asked.

"I'm trying to record what's going on in other worlds, that's all." Scribe still looked strangely nervous at talking to Chaos. "I-I don't mean any harm or anything...."

"Hey, it's OK," Khrista spoke up. "It's just that popping up all over the place is kind of..." Khrista paused as she mentally searched for a good word. "...weird."

"I would have said 'stalker-like'," I muttered. Khrista gave me a glare, but I ignored it.

Scribe gave a slight smile. "Sorry if I seem to be like that. I just...don't like to be seen, that's all."

"Hey -- it's okay," Khrista responded again. "Like Chaos said -- you're among friends."

Scribe's green eyes blinked in confusion for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I've gotta go. My friend's probably worried about where I am."

Before any of us could have responded to this, Scribe disappeared in a quick flash of light.

"Well, that was abrupt," Knrista remarked. "I wonder who her friend is...." Her eyes widened a moment later.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot about my parents!" Khrista yelped. "They're probably panicking right now because I disappeared again."

"Aren't you guys on uneasy terms as it is?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, after everything that happened on Neo-Mobius."

Her parents are complete helicopters, honestly -- they'd probably be better parents if they left Khrista alone...especially since she's hanging out at _our_ house in order to practice keyboard with the band!

"Still, I shouldn't make them worry to death by disappearing from my room." Khrista gave me a pleading look. "Could you send me back home?"

I gave my neighbor a smile. "Sure, no problem. I'll drop you off in my backyard, okay? You don't have to face off against them right away."

"Thanks, Maria. I owe you one."

"No, you don't." I waved a hand, and a blue whirlpool appeared next to her. "One ticket home. Go on ahead -- I'll meet up with you later."

Khrista gave me a nod. "Don't do anything stupid to Joshua, all right?"

"What do you take me for?" I grinned. "Your cousin's going to be fine -- now get going! That portal isn't going to stay open forever."

Khrista smirked, then gave me a short wave before turning and walking into the portal. I stuck my head through after her to make sure that she was going to make it back home safely. When she walked through the other side of the extremely short, blue-colored passage, I pulled my head out and shut down the portal.

"All right. Now I have to get Joshua to a roboticist to make sure that he's all right," I muttered to myself. I looked over at Chaos. "It's either going to be Dr. Light or Kintobor, but I don't know which one would be better for him in the long run."

 _"Kintobor has had experience with Robotosized beings before,"_ Chaos noted. _"Sonic and Sally being among the forefront of examples that could come to my mind."_

"Exactly. But look at Joshua's design -- it looks very nearly like mine -- like _MegaMan X,_ a future invention of Dr. Light's!" I shifted Joshua's position on my shoulder, and Mewtwo shifted his attention to look over at my unconscious neighbor.

 _"I do see a resemblance,"_ the Psychic-Type admitted. _"However, are you certain that it would be wise to go to him at this time?"_

Okay...that statement is odd....

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

_"Yes. I received a report from Zonic after you left. The next time Smash Worlds Tournament will become active -- which will not be for some time -- MegaMan will not be able to join us. His world is undergoing what people might call 'robotic Dark Ages'."_

"What?!" My eyes widened. "Robotic Dark Ages? Is that going to set them back?"

 _"It already has begun to."_ Chaos looked grim.

"No...." I bit my lip, looking at Joshua's limp form. This isn't good. If I can't get him to Light.... "Does that mean I'll have to go to Kintobor, then?"

_"Not necessarily."_

I looked at Chaos in surprise. "What? But you just said --"

 _"I know what I said."_ Chaos held up a three-fingered paw. _"However, there is a chance that you can still reach him. The revolution is only just beginning, and there are still many people who appreciate what Dr. Light has done. If you go now, you should be able to find him without running into much trouble."_

Ah. Catch him early...before everything's gone down the drain.....

I gave a smile and a nod. "Kay. I think I'll give it a try."

 _"You're going to need to disguise yourself,"_ Chaos warned.

"I kinda figured that." I closed one eye and watched as data streamed across my vision.

_Turn on Light Refractor: Y/N?_

_Y._

_*We're going to have to be on our guard*_ Inferno warned as my armor shimmered. _*Looking like this, you're going to end up getting looked at like you're just another kid*_

I looked down as my usual outfit materialized: white shoes with three red stripes down either side, jeans, a red shirt, and my orange jacket. Inferno did have a point -- I did look just like an ordinary teenager, but that _was_ the entire point.

"Well, if I do end up getting attacked while I look like this, then they're going to end up getting a rather nasty surprise," I remarked. I held up my free hand and summoned a portal to Neo-Earth. "And after Joshua's taken care of, I'm going straight home."

 _"What about the items you left behind?"_ Chaos suddenly spoke up.

His voice stopped me about an inch from the portal. Shoot, I'd nearly forgotten about my stuff back in my room!

"Could you just send it to my house?" I asked. "Joshua's kind of more important than anything else I've got right now."

The Mewtwo gave me a nod. _"Of course. Good luck."_

"Thanks." I gave a smirk, then turned around and walked through the portal and onto Neo-Earth, MegaMan's home world.

It actually didn't look as bad as when Wily had been terrorizing Light's home city.

It was worse.


	19. Chapter 19

**Maria's POV**

The scene that I had stepped out into was that of complete and utter ruin -- definitely some kind of war zone right in the middle of a city. From where I was standing -- which looked like the side of a collapsed building -- I could see flashes from plain old guns firing bullets.... No, wait -- they were _laser guns._

And one other thing -- the people using those guns were plain old humans. Which leads me to beg the question...where were the Robot Masters? How could everything get to be _this_ bad?

Where was MegaMan?

"Hey, kid."

I turned to look back to find the source of the voice behind me. My gaze went over a small group of five soldiers dressed in emerald green from top to bottom. Each and every one of them was carrying a gun.

"What are you doing out here with a robot?" one of the men asked, frowning behind his green visor.

"I'm looking for someone to repair him; what of it?" I responded coolly. Light probably hadn't released his designs for Reploid-class robots yet -- especially considering what Chaos had already told me. And besides, if these emerald-clad soldiers were the bad guys --

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that."

My eyes narrowed instantly, and I glared at the soldier to whom I had been speaking to. He was probably the leader of the group, considering that the "E" on his uniform was definitely more elaborate than the others.

Wait a second... _Emerald...._

"What makes you think that I'm going to listen to you?" I growled. My stance and voice must have had quite the effect, because three of the soldiers flinched. The two that didn't looked more experienced in what they were doing, leading me to think that they probably didn't see me as a threat.

"Kid, robots are dangerous," the head soldier stated darkly. "Just hand it over, and we'll dispose of it quietly and escort you home, all right?"

"Not on your life!" The nerve of these guys! I should have recognized them right off the bat -- they're Emerald Spears, the anti-robot group from Archie Comic's version of MegaMan! "I am going to take Joshua to Dr. Light, and that is _final!"_

"Then I'm sorry that I have to do this." The leader of the group of soldiers started forward, hands reaching out as though he was ready to grab me so that someone else could get Joshua away from me.

So, these guys want to play like this, eh? Well, they're not going to like how _I_ play. I raised my right hand a little, and a barrier of fire rose up between me and the Spears.

"A robot in human skin?!" one of the soldiers demanded in alarm.

"Hah! You morons," I sneered. "Don't you recognize a World Jumper when you see one?" I glared at the lot of them. "Now leave me in peace, or else things may end up getting very hot for you."

The soldiers looked at each other when they heard this, most of them having nervous expressions. The leader of the unit, though, just started to look angry.

"Insolent child!" he growled. "Everyone knows that World Jumpers are just a myth."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

My ears tingled when I heard a new voice. I _knew_ the owner of that voice....

Moments later, a figure in gray and red armor suddenly dashed out in front of my fire wall, white ponytail falling down to his knees and nearly blocking my view of his yellow scarf. In one hand was a beam sword, and in the other was a large, red and white, football-shaped shield.

Any of you MegaMan fans out there should be able to know who I'm describing. It's a shame he wasn't whistling when he landed.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Blues stated, glancing back at me. "Aren't you supposed to be in that tournament?"

I dropped the fire shield. "Chaos decided to fight me himself and clobbered me. I had a few things to take care of after that, and I came here because I need Light to look over a friend of mine." I shifted Joshua's weight on my shoulder; it was kind of difficult to keep him there, considering that his body was wider than the distance from my neck to my shoulder.

Blues glanced back; the Emerald Spears readied their guns. "His armor looks a lot like yours," he noted.

"His circumstances are similar to mine." I looked around Blues at the soldiers with as dark a frown as I could muster, then raised my voice. "Something you morons wouldn't understand!"

The Spears stiffened and gave me weird looks. Blues gave a smirk.

"Come on," the robot prototype stated. "I can get you to the lab."

"Oh no, you don't!" One of the soldiers started firings and Blues quickly moved his shield in the way of the lasers. It ended up coming at an angle, so the laser blast from the gun ended up going and hitting another leaning wreck of a skyscraper nearby. The large building started to teeter toward us.

"No...." I gritted my teeth. "You morons! We've got to get out of here before that thing collapses on top of us!"

Blues nodded in agreement, then moved towards the soldiers. Each one decided to aim their guns at him.

"Get out of here!" Blues barked at them. "Now!"

The leader of the unit scowled at the red-and-gray-armored robot. "I won't take orders from some malfunctioning robot!"

"Well, it's either you listen to us and _move_ or else we're all going to get smushed," I replied, motioning to the building. I could hear the metal straining, so it was only a matter of time before the entire thing collapsed.

The Spear scowled at me, but said nothing.

"Mechanical beings, be they Robot Master or otherwise, aren't going to let humans die on their watch," I continued. My clothes flickered for a moment, and I got a thirty-second warning that the Refractor was going to have to give out in order to recharge. I made my own decision much more quickly than that.

Suddenly dashing forward by using my boosters, I grabbed a soldier and started running away from the falling building and away from the laser guns' range. Considering the shouts that were following after me, the rest of the Spears were probably getting ready to pursue me in order to get their friend back...and also take me out of the running, considering that my holographic disguise had also disappeared.

"Wh-what are you?!" the soldier in my grip squeaked.

"My name is Maria White," I replied without looking back. "And I'm a World Jumper."

That seemed to make him fall silent. At the same time, the building that we had been running from collapsed. I stopped and turned to look back; the other Spears had been following me, but Blues was nowhere to be seen. Knowing him, he probably got away using a different route.

I dropped the Spear soldier, who sat there looking up at me in surprise. "There. I just saved your lives from getting crushed." I pointed at the collapsed building behind them. A couple people turned back to look, but the unit leader kept his eyes glued on me and my red, orange, and gray armor.

"You're that robot that disappeared after the eleventh Wily War," the unit leader noted. "FireWoman."

A low growl escaped my throat. "My name is _Maria_. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Hearing someone's metal feet connecting with the wreckage around us, I glanced over and saw Blues standing nearby, watching what was going on. "It's the name I was born with, and it's the name I carried over with me when I was transferred into this form _by_ Dr. Light _to save my life."_

A collective gasp went up from the Emerald Spears. Even the unit leader looked someone surprised by my statement.

"How?" the Spear at my feet asked.

I shrugged. "Another one of God's miracles, that's all I know." I gave him a look before turning to look at Blues. The prototype Robot Master gave me a nod before turning and moving over the wreckage with ease. I followed after him.

None of the Emerald Spears followed after us.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked when I had caught up with Blues. "It looks like it's been longer than you recovering from what happened at the Smash Worlds Tournament, that's for sure."

"It's been about half a year," Blues replied somewhat grimly. "The Emerald Spears have been coming together since the end of the tenth war; they've wanted to take down our intelligence and leave us as nothing more than drones, mainly because of how human-like we are."

"What makes them think that's going to be a good thing?" I responded.

"They don't want us taking over and destroying them."

A snort escaped from my nose. "The only danger there was in that was from Wily, and he's being held in an alternate dimension called the No Zone. That place is a _gigantic_ prison, so there shouldn't be any trouble at all from him anytime soon."

Although, Blue's statement brought back memories of things that I'd heard and seen -- I mean, _I, Robot, Terminator_....those movies and books had robots taking over all over the place. It made me wonder if the Spears had seen too many of _those_ and wanted to make sure that it wouldn't happen to this world.

"We heard about that from Bass," Blues stated. "It's good that he's going to be behind bars in a place that may actually know how to keep an eye on him."

"Exactly." I grinned. "It helps that they took on a couple other criminals who had caused trouble on a few other worlds, too. I might be able to have some time to myself so that I can be with my family rather than worrying my head off about Cyrus or Finitivus being on the loose." I looked around at the wreckage that we were running through. "So, what exactly happened here?"

"Like with Wily, the city has become a designated battleground for our two sides to work out our differences," Blues explained. "The Emerald Spears have been attempting to work their way through the city and destroy every single aspect of robotic life they can find. Light sent what Robot Masters we have through Mega City ahead of them so that the people wouldn't be caught in the crossfire."

"So, is the city entirely empty, then?"

"Very nearly. There are some people who live on the outskirts still -- that's where Dr. Light's lab is now."

The wrecked city started to look not-so-wrecked as we continued onward. The thought occurred to me that every single time I came here, this place looked like an absolute mess. Really, couldn't these guys hold onto some scrap of peace for even a small amount of time?

All the same, we managed to reach the outskirts without running into any more of those Emerald Spears, and we soon came upon a familiar building of sorts that looked like an observatory crossed with a house...plus all the mechanical add-ons that made the whole thing look more like a lab than anything else.

But I knew this building. This was where I had ended up the last time I was here -- when Dr. Light saved my life. It's my home away from home around here, I guess you could say.

Blues led me up the front steps and thrust the door open without even bothering to knock. We ended up entering what looked like a living space, and I realized that I hadn't been in _this_ part of Light Labs the last time that I was here -- I had most likely been in the back, or the more lab-like part of the property. But...this section of the house almost seemed to be deserted....

"Roll!" Blues called out. "I'm back! And you'll never guess who I brought with me!"

There came the sound of something metal hitting a set of stairs, and a figure appeared in a stairwell that was leading down. I couldn't believe my own eyes for a moment.

The figure standing on the stairs was definitely Roll...except that she was older, somehow -- the robot had gotten taller, and now she was wearing a long, red dress with a green jacket. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a big red bow, and she was wearing red flats.

Basically, almost exactly like she did when she was younger.

"Maria!" Roll ran forward and gave me a hug. She probably would have knocked the air out of me, if I wasn't a Reploid.

"Hey, Roll," I replied, still at a slight loss for words. "Did you up get an upgrade?"

"Yup!" Roll giggled and released me from the hug, but now her eyes were glued on the cobalt-and-lime-green form of Joshua. "Who's that?"

"This is Joshua," I stated. Whatever happiness I _had_ felt running into Roll in her new form died. "You remember when Kintobor was here, right? Did he end up explaining why it was that he knew so much about mechanics?"

"Rock mentioned that he had been able to turn organic creatures into machines," Blues noted.

"Joshua ran into an evil alternate version of Kintobor and managed to get himself trapped in a Robotosizer," I stated. "Since his armor looked so much like mine, I thought that it might be a good idea to have Dr. Light look him over rather than Kintobor."

Roll's green eyes widened. "Oh, my...." She turned and looked back at the stairs. "Dr. Light is working on something right now, but if it's something like what you're describing, he might stop for at least a day or two...." She looked back at me. "We may as well try. Come on." Roll motioned for me to follow her, then she turned and started down the stairs. I moved after her, and, surprisingly, Blues followed after me.

At the base of the stairs, the concrete floor leveled out into a small room that was mostly empty except for a few machines and a large, cylindrical shape that was lying on the floor. It looked like there was someone in it, but I didn't pay any attention to them. My eyes were glued on the rather haggard-looking, white-bearded man standing in front of a computer screen, looking over a stream of data.

"Dr. Light!" Roll called out. "Maria's here, and she has someone that needs your help."

The man paused, and turned and looked back at the figures standing in the doorway. His blue eyes widened when he caught sight of me -- or, rather, the person I had slung over my shoulder.

Dr. Light started moving in a flash; how he managed to cross the room so easily in his condition, I'll never know. "Who --"

"Joshua Langstrom, a neighbor of mine," I replied. "He went to an alternate version of Kintobor's home and ended up having a run-in with a Robotosizer. I ran into the mad scientist not long after I'd pulled Joshua out and he claimed that Joshua would be able to keep his free will. The main problem, though, is that he hasn't woken up since I found him."

A serious look came over Light's face. "Bring him over here," he directed, motioning towards and empty metal table nearby. "I'll have a look at him."

I walked over and lay Joshua on the table before stepping back at letting Light close to my neighbor.

"This is incredible...." Light murmured. "His armor looks almost exactly like --" He cut himself off and looked over at the figure that was lying in the cylindrically-shaped object I'd seen before -- now I realized that it was a capsule of some kind.

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I pulled him out," I stated, nodding. "Do you think that there's anything you might be able to do?"

"Maybe...." Light frowned slightly, then glanced over at Blues and Roll. "I'm going to need some peace and quiet, though."

Roll gave a nod, then motioned back towards the stairs. "Come on, Maria -- let's go find the rest of our brothers and see if they need any help."

Maybe Rock's with them?

"Sure -- why not?" I followed after Roll and Blues up the stairs and out of the lab. When we arrived back in the living space, though, the two stopped and gave me strange looks. There was something about them....

A frown came over my face. "What's up?"

"Dr. Light has been secretive about what he's been doing for some time now," Blues stated in reply. "I saw the look on your face when you saw the lab. You know something about what he's doing."

He didn't tell them? Dr. Light doesn't know they're going to gain a little brother?

 _*Don't leave them hanging*_ Inferno spoke up, shaking me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head for a moment. "I think the thought got into his head after what happened to me."

"What do you mean?" Roll frowned.

"You've seen what he's doing down there, right? You came up from down there when we got here."

"I was giving him his evening meal. He hardly ever comes up anymore, and every time we go _down_ there, he hides his project -- whatever it may be."

Really? What is going through Dr. Light's head?

"I think he's trying to recreate what he sees in me."

That got Blues and Roll to give me strange looks again.

"Just hear me out! Technically speaking, I'm a robot who can think and feel exactly what a human can -- including have free will -- while others just have pre-programmed limits and rules. Wouldn't someone like me -- a Reploid, for lack of a better term -- be the next step in robotics? A challenge that any roboticist would want to conquer?"

Blues and Roll looked at each other upon hearing this, then looked back at me.

"You do have a point," Blues stated. "Dr. Light was trying to think over different calculations after you left."

"He even upgraded us when he came back," Roll noted, frowning. "The Three Laws of Robotics still stand, but it feels like there's a lot more that I can do, now...." Her frown deepened into a thoughtful expression.

A thought popped into the back of my head, then. "Didn't say that we were going to check in on the others?"

Roll's expression brightened almost instantly. "Oh, right! They're over this way -- come on!" She turned and ran into another section of the house; I nearly had to do the same in order to keep up with her. Blues followed after the two of us at an even pace.

The room that Roll led us to was actually the part of the building that I was familiar with -- a more lab-like setting where I had spent my time training to use my abilities and conversing with different Robot Masters between missions...at least, before Wily decided to try and get his hands on me.

And standing around looking bored were members of that very group: Fire, Elec, Guts, Ice, Sword, Shadow, and Bass -- the last three were former Wilybots who had either defected through their own will or by having their forced loyalty to Wily removed through one way or another. The entire group looked in our direction as soon as we entered...and looks of surprise came over their faces when they caught sight of me.

"Hey, guys," I greeted with a quick wave of my right hand. "It's been a while."

"It has been," the ninja of the group agreed. It looked like Shadow's red scarf had gotten stiffer since I'd last seen him. "How have you been doing, Maria?"

"All right, I guess," I replied, rubbing the back of my head out of nervousness. "I mean, considering that I ran into Wily at the tournament....."

"We heard about it from Bass," Elec spoke up. The tesla cords on his back hadn't changed from the X-like shape that Kintobar had placed them in as an upgrade. "You really must trust this Captain America if you gave the codes to him."

"He's a hero in his own right," I responded. "And he's got to be among my favorites from his world. Marvel Kingdom has a lot of heroes, too."

"Marvel?" The little Eskimo I knew to be IceMan looked at me with a surprised expression. "You know people from Marvel Comics?"

"Yup!" I grinned. "I met a bunch of them in the tournament. Stark, Hawkeye, Thor, Cap, Wolverine...the list goes on."

"What about Cyclops? Was he there?"

"Sure he was. He didn't make it much further beyond me, though. Why do you ask?"

Ice looked like he was going to jump out of his boots in excitement. "He's my absolute favorite X-Man!"

Ok...that surprised me. I did _not_ expect that a Robot Master would actually _have_ a favorite hero, much less one that didn't match their own skill set. I mean, Cyclops shoots beams of heat energy out of his eyes -- Ice can freeze stuff.

GutsMan snorted. "The Hulk is better."

"I met him and the Thing," I spoke up. "The two of them actually ended up getting partnered up together for some of the events we had to do."

GutsMan grinned upon hearing this. "They probably beat everybody!"

"Actually...I think that Blues and my friend Keith blew them both out of the water." I looked over at Blues, and he gave a nod, causing Guts' jaw to drop and everyone else to let out bursts of laughter.

"What about the rest of you guys?" Ice asked, looking around at the others. "What are your favorite Marvel heroes?"

"Thor," Elec responded instantly. "He is honorable, and he knows exactly how to use lightning strikes to their maximum potential -- both for foes and allies."

I chuckled. "If you call charging Stark's armor to three hundred percent that."

"The Human Torch," FireMan spoke up. "He works towards justice using fire -- just as I do."

"Jean Grey is nice," Roll commented thoughtfully.

Ice started to blush profoundly, and something about the look on his face made me think of another comic book issue from Archie Comics...in which a certain someone tried to play matchmaker on Rock and Tempo. I should have known that, if the Emerald Spears were here, other aspects would be the same, too.

"I find the Dragon Fist to be the most honorable," Shadow remarked. "Black Panther, as well."

"Heh." Bass smirked. "That puss? Wolverine could take him on any day of the week."

A grin crept across my face. "Try saying that after you've seen him get knocked out by giant anvils as big as a house."

Bass' eyes widened, and he looked at me in shock before shifting to a deadpan expression. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Nope. The Animaniacs took him out pretty early on. Course, they were only an Assist trophy, so Cap and I ended up getting the credit for taking out Wolverine and Knuckles."

"That shouldn't be possible!"

Bass' outburst caused the others in the room to burst out into laughter. I was definitely grinning hugely.

"What about you two?" Roll asked, turning to look at Blues and SwordMan.

The former Wilybot -- who happened to have three different swords sheathed and attached to his back and his hands free of any sort of weapon -- gained a thoughtful expression. "I had always thought that Baron Zemo would have made a good hero if he hadn't decided to join with those Nazi characters. As for actual heroes...I think that I prefer the one known as Deadpool."

"Deadpool is a crazy mercenary villain," I pointed out, frowning.

"Really?" Sword blinked in surprise. "He doesn't seem like one."

"Yeah, he is pretty crazy," Bass agreed, grinning. "He's my second-favorite."

 

"I find that pegging favorites isn't particularly useful," Blues stated. "All the same, I've found that the Winter Soldier to be the one who I have been following in the comic books."

Bucky? Well, that's kind of surprising. Then again, I didn't really know _what_ to think of these guys when I started asking questions.

"I happen to like Captain America and Iron Man equally," spoke up another voice behind me.

I turned my head as soon as I heard the familiar voice, and my eyes widened. "Rock? Man, you've gotten tall."

The tall, blue-eyed, brown-haired teenager standing in front of me chuckled. "I'm only about average height, Maria." Rock adjusted the dark blue jacket that he happened to be wearing. "Dr. Light says that Joshua's awake."

"Really?" I was surprised -- really, I'd expected that Joshua would have been out cold for a little while longer. "Is he doing all right?"

"Better than we'd hoped. When I left, he was working on testing out his motor systems with a look of awe on his face." Rock smiled ruefully. "He wouldn't happen to be a fan of Dr. Light's work, would he?"

I smirked. "He plays the games over and over pretty often, so I'd say that he is." My face shifted _ever_ so slightly into an expectant expression. "Can I see him?"

"That's why I came here -- to get you." Rock motioned for me to follow him. "Come on."

As the two of us walked out of the room, the Robot Masters suddenly burst out into a loud shouting match. I wasn't really able to figure out what they were arguing about until I heard FireMan yelling over the arguing voices: "I admire both Batman and Superman because they both fight for justice!"

Looks like the "Batman or Superman" argument is a major thing here.


	20. Chapter 20

**Maria's POV**

When the two of us arrived back in Light's basement lab, Joshua was on his feet, even though he was still leaning against the table that he had been lying on when I had last seen him. He also had his eyes shut and didn't so much as look in my direction when I came down.

And what was even more interesting was that there was someone else watching Joshua besides Dr. Light, Rock, and myself. I knew the blue helmet with the red jewel in the front _anywhere_.

X was sitting up in the open cylindrically-shaped pod, watching Joshua work out walking with a curious look on his face and an incomplete right arm. As soon as I had come into view, his green-eyed gaze shifted to me and Rock, and his eyes widened.

Dr. Light looked over in our direction and gave a smile. "Hello, Maria. I would like you to meet your younger brother, Xavier."

Xavier? Huh...I didn't think that he ever got an actual name.... Well, learn something new every day, I guess.

"Hi, Xavier," I stated with a smile.

"Hi," Xavier replied. His voice was soft with wonder at seeing me. He looked between me and Joshua for a moment before asking, "Are you two like me?"

How do I answer this....?

"In a way," I finally admitted.

Xavier frowned and opened his mouth to ask what I meant when Dr. Light spoke up quickly.

"Maria and Joshua were both created under different circumstances," Light explained. "But yes, they are Reploids, as well."

"Oh."

Joshua suddenly flinched, then opened his eyes. "OK, _now_ my ears are working properly. I didn't expect that feedback, though...."

"You were momentarily deaf?" I asked, frowning. "Usually, they're the first ones up and working."

Joshua looked over at me in surprise, and I became surprised myself -- his eyes, once hazel with green specs, were now a deep indigo. Was that an after-effect of the Robotosizer or something?

Joshua blinked in confusion for a moment before shaking his head. "My balance was off. I was working on fixing that when I accidentally made myself lose my hearing." He started to shift his weight so that he was more on his feet and less leaning against the table. "I think I'm going to be all right now, though."

Joshua managed to move a few steps forward without any difficulty before Rock spoke up.

"You know, if you just started moving, your balance systems should have been able to adjust on their own without you having to adjust them."

Joshua looked over at the tall robot next to me, and his eyes widened. "Rock? I didn't picture you to be so...."

"Tall?" I smirked at the look on Joshua's face.

"It's a recent upgrade," Rock admitted. "Dr. Light wanted me to have an anti-virus upgrade, but it ended up going a little further than that."

Anti-virus? Wait...Rock's among the most advanced in robotics. If he needs to be updated in any way, then....

"Is there something going on other than the Emerald Spears problem that I ran into on my way here?" I asked aloud.

Light gained a surprisingly uneasy look. "Unfortunately. There's been a break out of a dangerous processor virus as of late that seems to be solely targeting robots -- be they drones or Robot Masters."

I instantly gained a picture of a giant, black robot with a hard-helmet carrying a laser-toting ax terrorizing the people. I don't know what caused me to connect "virus" with that...wait. Now I know. If I was still human, my blood would be running cold.

"What does the virus do?" Joshua asked, frowning. There was a look on his face that clearly said he had a guess at what was going on.

"The virus attacks the Three Laws programming, personality programming, and the emotional matrices," Light explained grimly. "In short, the virus strips them of their reasoning and leaves them as angry attacking machines that are a shadow of what they were."

"Cut and Bomb are among those that have been affected so far," Rock added sadly.

No... My eyes widened upon hearing this. "Not those two."

"Any others?" Joshua asked.

"Luckily, not from our numbers," Rock replied. "Although, a lot of us have been going out to help against the menace. I'm surprised that Copter decided to join in the hunt for the source."

Copter? The shy little Robot Master Tails made to help Light out? Wow...something must have changed in him in order for that to happen.

"Who's Copter?" Xavier asked innocently. It was strange, seeing him like this -- not a smart Reploid who knew the ravages of war, but an innocent being who was coming into his own during a war he would never be able to physically help in. Unless Light thinks of something else, that is.

"Copter is a friend of mine," Rock stated with a slight smile. "He's always trying to help others, even when he is scared to the death at the thought of facing down opponents."

"That makes him brave, though, right?"

I nodded in response to Xavier's question. "I bet Copter doesn't see himself as brave, though. The little guy doesn't even like to fight, from what I've heard."

"I want to go and help him."

The look that came over Xavier's face...it reminded me a lot of the looks he'd get in the video games when he's going after rogue robots -- Irregulars, Mavericks, whatever.

Dr. Light, however, looked somewhat concerned. "In due time, X," he stated softly. "I'm not done putting you together. You are definitely not going out there with unfinished motor control programming in your legs."

"......" Xavier looked down at himself while his face stated to a disappointed expression.

"Your time will come to help," I stated. "You just have to be patient, that's all."

"Maria is right," Dr. Light intoned. "You have to wait until I'm done with you. Now, how about you get some rest for a little while, and I'll see what I can do."

Xavier's green eyes moved over to look at Dr. Light. He would have probably said something, but something in Dr. Light' face made him pause before lying down and shutting his eyes. A loud beep suddenly resounded moments later -- probably signifying the fact that he had shut down for now.

"I never thought that he was this much of a handful," Joshua spoke up suddenly. "Has he always been like this?"

"Only after the Emerald Spears started blaming me as the source of the virus," Dr. Light replied. He picked up a piece of blue armor and inspected it. "He wants me to make him battle-ready in order to go out and help, but I'm afraid of what X may do when he enters the real world."

"Has anyone could the source of the virus yet?" Joshua asked, frowning. "Because according to what I know, it's supposed to be a Wily weapon of some kind."

"Wily's been arrested and taken to the No Zone," I spoke up. "So it can't be just a weapon, Joshua."

"You two know something about it?" Rock asked, looking back and forth between me and my neighbor.

"Know about it?" Joshua repeated. "I've played the games so much that I know every secret that can be found in them. Unfortunately, no one on my world knows the true origin story behind the virus -- some people said it was a last resort weapon, others claim that it was some sort of loyalty program gone wrong--"

I shuddered. If anything, it had better not be _that_.

"--or it was glitched programming from a...." Joshua paused for a moment. "...next-step project of Wily's that was removed only by having the glitch transferred to someone else."

"Not X," I added quickly, seeing the look of alarm on Light's face. "X has never been affected by the virus as far as we know."

Light relaxed slightly. "While that bodes well for my antivirus programming, it makes me worry for those in the future. If this virus persists, the world will fall into ever-increasing chaos." He looked down at the "sleeping" X. "Meaning that he is going to have to be prepared for war."

I gave a grim nod in agreement, thinking back to what I knew of the games -- at least, from when my older brother Matthew would play whenever Joshua was at the house. X...things were going to get pretty rough for him.

"Maria, why did you shudder when I mentioned the loyalty program theory?"

I stiffened upon hearing Joshua's question, and I glanced over at him with a cautious expression. He just _had_ to ask, didn't he?

I let out a sigh and turned fully to look at him. "When I was here last, Wily found out about me when Blues, Elec, and I destroyed AirMan and a weather machine he had set up. In a roundabout way, he _kidnapped_ me right when we were in the middle of rescuing Blues from Wily and the mad scientist decided to try and warp me to his way of thinking...by using a loyalty program on me."

Joshua's brand-new indigo eyes widened. "He did _what?"_

"I don't plan on saying it twice. I'm just lucky that Dr. Light managed to remove most of it and just left me with something that isn't as bad because I can control who gets to _know_ about the way to activate it. Still...it's kinda scary with the thought that I still have a piece of that thing in my head." I shuddered again.

"And it seems that Maria carries extra personality data, like you," Dr. Light noted, frowning. "And it doesn't seem to be doing any harm, either."

I stiffened. What? I looked over at Joshua, and his wide eyes were on me. Looks like he couldn't believe his ears, either.

"Extra personality data?" Joshua repeated. "You've got someone in your head, too?"

"Uh...yeah." I gave a hesitant nod. "Inferno."

Joshua's expression calmed, and gave a slight nod. "We thought so. Blitzen is in my head."

_*Blitzen? With his attitude, I would have thought that Odin was in there*_

_Odin?_

_*Another code name. Don't worry about it*_

"Inferno thought that Odin was the one who was going to be in your head..." I spoke aloud. "...whoever that is."

"You mean there may be others in your situation?" Dr. Light asked, surprised.

"Sounds like it," I muttered.

"Blitzen said that there are three others besides the two of us," Joshua spoke up. "If we can find them, he thinks there may be a way to get everyone out of our heads."

I nodded. "That sounds like what Inferno has said." Another idea came to mind, then. "Hey -- if the two of us have them, then other people we know could have the last three."

"Maybe." Joshua gained a thoughtful expression. "But in order to find that out, we'd have to ask them directly, and that might not happen if they're trying to keep all this under wraps."

"That's a good point...."

"Why don't the two of you go and look for them?"

I looked over at Rock in surprise. "What? And leave you guys to handle the Emerald Spears?"

"We've been taking care of the problem for some time now," Dr. Light replied. "It's obvious that you two think we are going to be relatively all right. I don't want to see you dragged into something that could end up having you go berserk when others have need of you."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"Certain," Dr. Light replied seriously. "Get going, you two -- but don't leave down here."

Joshua blinked in confusion. "What?"

"You should at least see my brothers before you go," Rock stated, grinning. "Besides, leaving without saying goodby just isn't right."

The grin that split Joshua's face made me grin, mainly because I knew about Joshua's obsession with Neo-Earth. Joshua's been a fan ever since he could pick up a game controller and him meeting the others would be like...well, like me meeting Sonic the Hedgehog -- which I already have, by the way.

"Come on," Rock stated, motioning for the two of us to follow him back up the stairs. "If we're lucky, Bass and Blues won't have started sparring against the others to prove that Batman really is better than Superman."

The grin that had been on Joshua's face faded into a look of confusion. "What?"

"I asked them what their favorite Marvel heroes were and it kinda digressed from there." I shrugged, then started after Rock. Joshua was quick to follow after us.

**Time Break**

When we got to the room that the Robot Masters were hanging out in, it was completely filled with noise. I quickly saw the reason why -- Blues and Bass were glaring up at Guts and Elec while Fire stood between them and was trying to push the four away from each other. All five of them were shouting -- loudly.

Rock sighed and shook his head. "Really? It's Guts and Elec this time?" He raised his voice. "Guys, cut it out! I don't think they'd like to see you fighting over who's better!"

The struggling paused, and the group turned their heads in order to see who had spoken, even though they probably knew who it was already. And then they caught sight of Joshua standing next to me.

"Guys, this is Joshua," I introduced, motioning to the cobalt and green-armored teenager next to me. Technically, though, he's a Reploid now, too.... "He's a good friend of mine and happens to be a pretty big fan of you guys."

Blues stepped away from the others and turned his attention fully to Joshua. As usual, his visor kept me from discerning what it was that he was thinking, and his mouth was in a position that made me think that Blues was frowning.

"You don't look like you have any weapons on you," Blues noted.

"I've been a supporter," Joshua replied. "If I think of something, I can probably integrate it into my systems." He looked calm, but something told me he was also nervous -- I mean, wouldn't you be if you were in his situation?

Blues inclined his head. "That could be dangerous."

"I already have prototypes at home that I can adjust to work with my programming. I'm sure I'm going to be all right."

"You're an inventor?" Roll asked. She had been standing on the sidelines of the fight with Ice, and was now watching my neighbor with wide, green eyes.

"Yeah. I've been experimenting with alternate power sources and non-lethal stun-type weapons, signal trackers, and communicators."

 _*Sounds like Blitzen's work*_ Inferno noted at the back of my head. _*The two must be working together on their projects in order to forward each other's research or something*_

 _How do you know?_ I asked as Bass started to approach Joshua. _Are you a scientist?_

Inferno snorted. _*No. But I know what he likes to work on*_

"Something hasn't been sitting right around here," Bass remarked, getting Joshua's attention.

Joshua stiffened a little when he saw Bass' hard gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Shadow said there's a robot wandering around Wily's old base," Bass stated, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the robot ninja. "He saw it in the lab when we dragged Maria out of there."

"There was another robot there?" I blinked in surprise, then closed my left eye. Data files flickered through my vision, and I found a relatively small gap with a couple short, blurry memories -- what was left from Wily's work. "I didn't think there was anyone else in there." I opened my left eye again.

"There was," Shadow confirmed. "It activated when we were removing you and Dr. Wily. It was obvious that it's programming had been damaged somehow."

Joshua frowned. "You keep saying 'it,' even though you are a Robot Master yourself."

"I could not discern whether they were designed to be male or female. All I saw was a flash of red armor and a long stream of yellow hair."

Oh, no. _He's_ already active?!

Joshua gained a surprised expression, then frowned. "I think I remember hearing something about this...." His frown deepened. "The robot's name...I think it's Omega."

"Omega?" Rock repeated. "That's the last letter of the Ancient Greek alphabet, isn't it?"

"That's right," I confirmed. Omega. I remembered that Matt complained about him as a final boss in a game with the same name as....

"Is this guy dangerous?" Ice asked.

"That depends on when you run into him," Joshua replied grimly. "Right now, it's possible that he's one of the sources of the trouble you're presently having."

"You mean the virus," Blues stated with a deadpan tone in his voice. "He's the source?"

"A possible one."

"Then let's destroy this Omega!" Guts roared, raising a fist.

"No!" Joshua waved his hands in front of him quickly in an attempt to stop Guts. "Do that, and whoever stops him will become the virus' source! Now that Omega's active, there's nothing that's going to stop that virus from spreading unless someone gains access to Omega's programming and creates the cure."

"Good luck with _that_ happening," Bass muttered under his breath.

I really, _really_ wanted to stay and help these guys out, but I also knew that this _had_ to happen if Xavier and Zero were ever going to meet and help against Sigma -- who would probably go berserk whether the virus exists in the future or not....

 _*No. You can't help. We've got to go home and find the others*_ Inferno growled.

I let out a sigh. "I'd really like to help you guys -- I really would -- but I have to take Joshua home so that we can take care of some things on our own."

"You're leaving already?" Elec asked, frowning.

"Something big's come up that involves the two of us and a few others we have to find," Joshua explained.

"Again, I'd really like to stay and help, but this is something we have to do." I shrugged helplessly.

Blues' visor furrowed, signifying that he was frowning deeply. "You'll come back if we need you."

It wasn't a question.

"I will," I promised.

Blues gave a nod, then turned on his heel and walked out of the room without another word.

Bass gave a snort. "Good luck with your whatever-it-is."

"Good luck with yours," I shot back. The two of us shared a smirk. "And I hope you get better the next time we meet, because I don't want to have to kick your butt as hard as I did back at the Tournament."

"That was a fluke!"

"Suuure it was." I grinned before turning to look at Joshua. "You ready?"

Joshua gave a nod. "Yeah. Let's go home."

I gave a nod in return, then held up my right hand and went ahead and created a portal. A tiny blue pinprick of light appeared before fully blooming out in a bright blue. I glanced back and motioned Joshua forward, and the two of us walked into the portal, leaving Neo-Earth behind.

"That was...different," Joshua managed when we were walking through the blue corridor. "I didn't think that they really had many likes and dislikes."

"What surprised _me_ was that Ice likes Cyclops and Roll likes Jean Gray," I replied, grinning.

"No way."

"Yes way. And Bass likes Wolverine, Rock likes Cap and Iron Man, Guts likes the Hulk, Elec likes Thor, Fire likes the Human Torch, Shadow likes Dragon Fist and Black Panther, Sword thinks Deadpool is cool, and Blues actually likes the Winter Soldier."

"Wow. That's pretty diverse. But what about their armor designs? Elec and Blues didn't look anything like they do in the video games."

"Upgrades while I was there the first time -- Kintobor's work, actually."

That got Joshua to stop short. "Kintobor? A version of Eggman?"

"Reformed," I admitted. "He's living in Kanto on Neo-Mobius, last I checked -- you know, the Pokemon World? There are Mobians living there, too."

"That explains your mentioning of Tails...did the two of them go there?"

"Yup." I started forward again and motioned for Joshua to follow me. "Tails made Copter in order to help out -- and probably to experiment with the Robot Master idea."

The passage soon reached it's end, and the two of us walked out the other side...and out into my home's backyard. Where Matthew and Khrista were standing.

Khrista's eyes widened when she caught sight of the two of us as the portal closed behind us. "Joshua! Maria!" She ran forward and rammed into the cobalt and lime green-armored Reploid.

"Khrista?" Joshua asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Her parents disappeared for a vacation trip," Matthew spoke up. "We can let her stay over at our house until they get back."

I blinked in surprise. They did _what?_ "Really? I didn't think they had that sort of thing in them."

"Nor I," Joshua agreed. His indigo eyes locked with Khrista's blue ones in an unidentifiable expression, as he frowned slightly. Khrista's eyes widened in surprise.

"Joshua, what happened to your eyes?" she squeaked. "They're indigo!"

Joshua blinked at his cousin's yelp, then he gave a slight smile. "Part of my transformation into a Reploid, I suppose."

"Reploid...?" Khrista looked between my cousin and me. "You didn't take him to Dr. Light and leave him there didn't you?"

"I didn't _leave_ him," I replied patiently. "I needed check in on a few things while I was there."

Really, thinking that I'd leave him behind for a few days...where did she think I went in the meantime?

"So, what now?" Khrista asked. "Mom and Dad left me alone, so...."

I gave a smirk. "Come on inside. We'll let my mom know we're back and what it is that we've been doing." I started towards the back door, the rest of the group starting after me.


	21. Epilogue -- Several Days Later....

Maria looked up as a cobalt foot came careening towards her head, and she quickly slid out of the way before attacking the attacking opponent with a stun-style Buster Shot.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," Maria noted, giving a dry smirk to her attacker. "Since when did you set this thing on 'versus'? I liked it better when we were playing through a storyline."

"You said that I needed the practice," came the reply. Indigo eyes sparkled with a strange look of amusement. "And Blitzen happened to agree."

"And I can't exactly fight him since I'm technically a part of him!"

Maria spared a glance in the direction of the young man with strange, blue-crystal eyes that were so much like Inferno's that it unnerved her a little. "We could have set up a dummy program so that we could both practice. I know I need it after what happened with Chaos."

"As I recall, you've had more of it thanks to going off-world four times," Inferno stated dryly. She crossed her arms over her chest and inclined her head, causing her red-gold hair to shift ever so slightly over her shoulders.

Maria would have responded to this had she not been punched in the face by the neighbor that she was starting to see more as a cousin.

"You really should be keeping your guard up!" Inferno added, smirking.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Maria turned her attention to Joshua, who was retreating after nearly giving her a black eye. "Really, you don't _have_ to coach me." She fired another shot at Joshua, but the cobalt and green Reploid dodged before coming at her again, bringing a fist back. "And you should really start working on integrating a weapon or something! The only reason I'm not using my fire right now is because you don't even have a Buster yet!"

"Blitzen suggested I wait a little longer," Joshua replied, grinning. He attempted to punch Maria a few more times, but she dodged and managed to strike a hit right on her opponent's nose, causing him to make a noise of pain and stagger back. "Hey! Cheap shot!"

"In a fight, head shots can count," Maria shot back. She aimed her Buster at him and started to charge it when a loud beeping noise came over the blank stage they were standing in.

"Who's end is it?" Joshua asked, rubbing his nose.

Maria released her Buster's charge, and the energy dispersed into cyberspace. "I think that was from my end." She closed her right eye and found her vision split between looking at Joshua...and looking at the blue eyes of her older brother, Matthew. "What is it?"

 _::There's a package that just came in::_ Matthew replied. His voice sounded somewhat fuzzy, but it still came through fine. _::It says it's for you, and it's from some group called the Smash Worlds Tournament::_

Maria's eyes widened. "Oh! About time!"

"What is it?" Joshua asked.

"Something I've been waiting for just came in. I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this session short for now. That fine with you?"

"Yeah. I'm definitely going to have to rethink some of my strategies if I'm ever going to be of much help outside of our home world." Joshua gave a nod, then started to turn into pixels. Their surroundings followed soon after, and Maria was soon getting up from an arm chair while Matthew stepped back in order to allow her to do so.

"What were you two doing?" Matthew asked.

"Joshua wanted to do some actual sparring," Maria explained. She glanced over her armor quickly -- seeing as she was in her own home, she didn't have to worry about keeping her Reploid armor hidden from sight. "Good to see that no one decided to try and decorate me again."

"You can't blame Collin for trying to have some fun. You're starting to get a bit too attached to looking good."

 _*You're brother's right, you know*_ Inferno intoned.

Maria shrugged. "Well, it'd be all right so long as it would be removed easily. I mean, I don't want the rest of you to get weird looks for buying polishing equipment because of me." A smirk spread across her face. "Now, where's that package?"

"On the kitchen table. Mom and the others are sitting around it right now, waiting for you."

The blue-eyed Reploid gave a nod, and she started towards the aforementioned room, Matthew following after her. They soon arrived in the kitchen...where Liz was starting to attack a large box with a pair of scissors.

"Hey!" Maria dashed over and snatched the box away from Liz. "My box, not yours!"

"You weren't coming," Liz replied with an innocent shrug. Maria gave her sister a glare in response, then turned her attention to the package in her hands.

Grabbing at the tape that had already started to get cut open, Maria made as though to pull the tape off the cardboard so that it would open up. A loud _rip!_ resounded in the kitchen as the Reploid was able to do this...and more.

"You didn't have to completely tear the top off," Matthew noted dryly.

"I didn't _mean_ to," Maria replied with a shrug. She looked down at what was inside the box and blinked in surprise before a grin came across her face. "Yes! Chaos followed through!"

"With what?" piped up the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy sitting at the table.

"All my stuff from the Worlds Tournament is in here," Maria explained. She reached in and grabbed the spine of a book and pulled out _Darkest Night_. "I bought this from a comic book shop while I was there. I've got a few other books, too." The Reploid reached in and continued to grab items, pulling them out in order to get to everything in the box: her red backpack, the Bible and PokeDex back inside; a MegaMan comic book; a Sonic comic book; a large book with a grid-covered blue globe surrounded by a ribbon that said "Smash Worlds Tournament;" and a black disk case marked with a phoenix.

"What's this?" Matthew asked, picking up the disk case. He popped it open and pulled out a small scrap of paper. " 'A recording of Maria's progress through the tournament', huh?" He looked over at Maria, who was looking at her older brother in surprise.

"Really? I didn't think I was going to get a DVD of what I'd done." Maria blinked in surprise.

"Can we watch it?" the blond-haired boy piped up.

"It would be interesting to see what you've done," a woman with black, frizzy hair agreed.

"Well, I don't see why not." Maria gave her older brother a grin. "Go ahead and put it in, Matt."

Matthew gave a nod, then motioned for them to follow him before disappearing into the family room, disk in hand. Maria picked up the large book before following after her brother, the rest of the present family following after her.

"So, what's in the book?" the blond-haired boy asked, pointing at the large book in Maria's hands as the group sat down either on or around the couch while Matt wrestled with the DVD player.

"I've got my suspicions, Collin," Maria replied. "I think it's a 'who's who' type of book."

"You mean, everybody that was competing in this tournament thingy?"

"Yup." Maria fingered the cover for a moment. "Only one way to find out, though." The Reploid grabbed at a random point near the middle of the book and threw it open.

The book fell open on a two-page profile of Blues, with a picture of the prototype Robot Master standing with his shield in front of him and his beam sword in his other hand. A short paragraph and status points were sprawled across the other pages, as well as a note as to how far Blues managed to go in the tournament.

"Whoa...." Collin's eyes were wide. "He looks so cool!"

"Now you know why Joshua likes the MegaMan games so much," Maria replied with a smirk. "Rock's probably somewhere in here, too."

"There!" Everyone looked up to see Matthew stepping away from the TV and the DVD player. "That should do it. The movie should be coming on any minute now."

As though Matthew had spoken the magic words, the Smash Worlds Tournament logo came up on the screen, followed by a man's deep voice playing as an announcer of sorts.

"We hope you enjoy this film so much that you will put this in your favorite video game system afterwards and enjoy the surprise we've programmed into each separate disk! Now, onto the movie!"

As the screen went dark, a grin came across Maria's face. "Sounds like we've got the next Smash Worlds game ahead of everybody else."

Matthew nodded. "I can't wait to test it out. And beat you."

Maria let out a laugh as the screen flickered to show a girl with brown hair stepping out of a swirling blue portal and into a hall with flags of all kinds hanging from the ceiling. "I would like to see that happen! I'm in that game too, remember? And I know my own moves better than you do!"

Matthew let out a groan. This was going to be a long summer....


End file.
